PLN+Four

PLN 4: Kitty, Nikita, Sunny Mae, & Justine

=EdTech Integration Mind Maps (6/23/11)=


 * Question 1: How can instruction be enhanced or improved through the use of technology?**


 * Question 2: Choose one of the 10 ideas presented in the "[|Getting Started]" article and diagram an action plan/flow chart, detailing how to build upon the idea chosen by the group.**



=e-Room Investigations (6/23/11)=

http://smithhisler.weebly.com/index.html

Mr. Smithhisler’s website

This one is our favorite. It is easy to use and has good information. It has cool widgets. It is aesthetically pleasing, organized, and has easily accessible supplemental information. We liked the way the menus worked. The font was clear and easy for young students to read.

=Venn Diagrams about Technology in the Classroom (6/27/11)=

This is a Venn diagram of the pros and cons of teaching digital natives. by Nikita and Kitty

This is a Venn diagram of the pros and cons of teaching digital natives. by Jennifer and Justine

=Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction (4/7/11)=

Objective: Students will be able to observe and describe geometry in the environment. Project: Students will create a fotobabble by taking a picture of something in the environment and describing it with geometric terms.

Sherry:
Content: Extra materials with lots of visuals will be available for her. Process: She could be the teacher's helper in handing out supplies. She could be a scout by monitoring other students' work and giving out rewards to students that are working well together and are focused. Product: She would work with a group to create her fotobabble. Environment: She needs clear and explicit instructions on how to carry out the assignment. Philip will help Sherry understand the step of the project.

Jack:
Content: He needs the directions out loud with lots of modeling. Process: He will dictate his ideas to a group member instead of writing them down. Product: He will be the photographer for his group. Environment: Jack's group will collect photos outside.

Philip:
Content: He can think of new ways to help his peers remember the different shapes (through interpretive dance?!?). Process: He will be the group leader for his group. He will be in charge in keeping the other students on task. Product: He will create an additional fotobabble on his own. He can help facilitate sharing the fotobabbles at the end of the assignment. Environment: He needs the end of the lesson to be structured and behavior expectations need to be explicit.

=Problem Based Learning (7/13/11)= We chose the [|Healthy Self Project] as our favorite.

We liked it because it could be applied to any classroom, can go across multiple subjects, and it clearly maps out the timeline of the project. We found that other projects included outdated resources or we could not figure out the learning objectives of the project.

They generated questions they wanted to investigate. They had to synthesize their data to create presentations. They applied their knowledge to create a healthy snack shop.

Students used technology to research nutrition, exercise, and the human body during their project. They also used timers during exercise. They could have use technology to connect with community members (look up people to contact and email them).

We liked the project, but the site could have been more visually appealing. They also could have included resources.

=**Web 2.0 + Differentiation (7.15.2011)**=

Sunny Mae Saul For this part of the assignment I researched ways that Philip could use his love for dancing and his activities in geometry to create a voice thread that could explain an inventive geometric dance. Philip would be assigned to create a mat that is similar to the mat used in the dance dance revolution interactive video game. He would be using geometric shapes that would be used to create a dance pattern for fellow peers and students. He would start this assignment by exploring a geometric dance, and geometric dance pad that was previously prepared by the teacher. The dance steps would be explained through pictures. For example, he may step twice on the square, once on the triangle, three times on the circle, and so on. This would create a dance pattern, along with aiding in the students ability to study geometric shapes in a fun and inventive way. After Philip was finished exploring the pre-made dance and mat that was made by the teacher he would start producing his own geometric dance, while using a homemade dance mat. Philip would be instructed to create a voice thread that would allow him to transform his media with videos, voice, and text commenting. Philip would be given detailed instructions on how to make a video example of how to create a geometric dance that emulates the dance dance revolution interactive game. He would be able to create a slide show that would instruct students on how to make and use a geometric dance mat, along with adding text commenting that would give students plenty of verbal instruction. Philip would also be able to make a video for his peers that shows his final geometric dance and completion of the assignment. Through this assignment, Philip would be able to integrate his love for dancing, and his need to learn geometric shapes in an activity that supported his extracurricular activities, along with the academic standards of geometry. https://voicethread.com/ [|Voice Thread]

This is a really creative use of VoiceThread! I would have liked to read a VT description and see a screen shot of a sample VT included. ~ Mrs. L.

Kitty Hess Jack Students will be able to observe and describe geometry in the environment. Digital Storytelling []

Jack likes to do things outside. He would probably really enjoy going outside to take pictures of geometry. Taking photos would fulfill the first part of the objective because he would be observing geometry in the environment. In order to meet the rest of the objective, he would need to describe the examples of geometry he found. Since he has low reading skills (and probably low writing skills), I wanted to find an application that would allow him to record audio instead of writing. It would have the advantage of being oral, but he would not have to perform in front of the class. The environment would be varied for him because he would work inside and outside. The process and product would be different for him because he would be able to describe his observations orally instead of writing them down. I would like him to try to use the digital storytelling web 2.0 application. The digital storytelling application would allow Jack to narrate a slideshow of his photos and make it into a movie. He would also use Flickr while making his video. After he uploaded the photos, he would be able to access the photos from the digital storytelling website. He could select which photos he wants to use, which order he wanted them in, and what he observed about each one. If he chooses, he can add music to his video. There is also a place for him to write script if he wanted to read from it. He could write the script or work with a partner who could do the typing. He also has the option to include subtitles from his script in his video.

Great ideas for engaging Jack via the digital storyteller interface. ~ Mrs. L.

Justine Delaine 

Student name: Sherry

Web 2.0 tool: Exploratorium: []

=
 I will use the Web 2.0 Exploratorium to introduce Sherry to geometric shapes in our environment. On this site they can explore the world of geometry in the natural environment and in artwork. There are lesson activities, handouts, videos, galleries and lots more. I will introduce the lesson with the geometry playground and show the “math walk” video. This shows an example on creating a math walk. This will introduce her to the topic that we will be exploring geometric shapes in our environment. As a class we will be going outside to look for geometric shapes in the environment and creating a book of our math walk. ======

=
 Sherry will go to the geometry garden on the site. Here she will be directed to explore natural shapes, and crystals. I chose these two because they have more obvious shapes to see within the structure, especially the crystals. She will be given a handout of shapes to follow on the scavenger hunt. First she will go on a scavenger hunt on the Exploratorium geometry garden to find as many shapes on the handout as she can. Once she identifies the shapes she will use Jing to record photos of the shapes. This is a warm up activity to learning about shapes before going on our shape walk scavenger hunt. Then next part of the lesson will be to go out on the school ground and take pictures of geometric shapes using the handout to facilitate finding shapes. Students will work in groups to hunt for shapes and take pictures. Then the pictures will be uploaded on the computer and printed out to use to create a geometry walk book that includes her group’s photos. They will also label the shapes and include a description of the shape and the object they found that represents that shape. ======

=
 I thought this web 2.0 site would be useful for her because she has a hard time comprehending while reading. This site offers a lot of videos and pictures to help with the introduction to the lesson as well as give a preview for the directions on the process of the lesson. Creating a book with her photographs and descriptions is great for her because she loves books and reading. She will be excited to make her own book. The images from the site, the hands on experience of the scavenger hunt and the book making are all ways to enhance her comprehension. She also would benefit from working with a group because she is very social. ======

Your ideas for how to use the site are excellent; all that is missing is a description of the site. ~ Mrs. L.

Nikita Brougher

Sherry

Wetoku allows you to record videos using a webcam and post videos into blogs. Remote instant video journalism is possible with this. The video can show the video of an interview with two computer webcam shots at once. Interviews become accessible to others besides Sherry and the interviewee. Here is an of Wetoku in action. As you can see the interview can be recorded and shared in blogs. The video can also be showed without a blog, but this would be great to watch if everyone has their own computer.

Wetoku would be a great tool for Sherry because she learns through talking. She likes to interact with others and needs to have a social aspect to her learning. This is why I chose Wetoku because it facilitates interviews. Using this application, Sherry could interview an expert in geometry or interview the other students about their experience in nature. Wetoku videos can be shared with others and this would help bring the rest of the class into the discussion. Groups (including Sherry) could present their findings. She could use this tool to be more interactive with the assignment. Working in the group and describing her findings in geometry would help her be more interested in the content. Since she likes to help me, I could have her be a teacher/expert for the Wetoku site, and she could help the groups use this application.

Nice ideas for the integration of Wetoku as a means to differentiate for Sherry. Be careful about your placement of images - due to the heavy text in the captured image and the placement of said image, the first paragraph is very hard to read. ~Mrs. L.

=Wordle Activity (7/19/11) Question #2=

What changes must take place in K-12 schools before educators can fully integrate and utilize technology?
Nikita

Sunny Mae What changes must take place in K-12 schools before educators can fully integrate and utilize technology?

What changes must take place in K-12 schools before educators can fully integrate and utilize technology?
Justine =**Ed Tech realities (**7-25-11):= = = __Professional Development__ by Nikita Brougher, Kitty Hess, Justine Delaine, and Sunny Mae Saul
 * Planned and intentional-Consider the needs of the students and staff. Set clear goals and purposes for professional development.
 * Ongoing- Throughout the school year. Teachers need ample time to practice in their classrooms.
 * Systematic process-Teachers should take an active role in their own learning. Encourage teachers to take leadership roles and make decisions. It should be school wide and long lasting. Opportunities to collaborative with teachers across grade levels and subjects. It should be part of the school culture.

At Howard (tech school), they had ongoing training about integrating technology. Some of the trainings were great. Some of it was always more relevant to some teachers than others because they all had different background knowledge.

Possible Solution: Have teachers run the trainings, if money is tight. There is always someone that has a great idea to share.

=**Educational Technology Resources (7/29/11)**=
 * Justine, Nikita, Kitty, Simon**

[|Word Search Maker] This website allows you to put in any words you want and it will generate a word search that you can print and use in your classroom.
 * Online Teacher Tools**

[|PBS Teacher] This is a resource for preK-12 teachers. Professional development in all subject areas (including technology) is available through the website. There is a discussion board where teachers can collaborate.
 * Online Professional Organizations & Research Centers**


 * Lesson Plan Repositories**

http://www.siopinstitute.net/classroom.html

This site provides various templates for SIOP lesson plans.


 * Magazines & Publications**

EDTECH: Focus on K-12

[]

Articles on current trends and ideas for using technology in the classroom. Comes with a collection of resources and ideas for using technology in the classroom.

[] This website has a plethora of resource tools for teachers to create online assessments, online book maker, bulletin board ideas, games and puzzle makers, planning tools, calendars, flash cards, forms for teachers and much more!
 * Online Planning and Assessment tools**