Post #6: Web Sites and Wikis

Class Websites

Most teachers are required to maintain some sort of website for their class. This class website is a good way to inform students and parents about important upcoming events and deadlines.These websites also create a place for teachers to upload resources and students to upload their work for grades. I found a high school English teacher's website from Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington. I chose this site  because high school English is the subject area and grade level that I want to teach. This website included a syllabus, class discussion board, calendars, and class assignments. 

Technology

As a teacher, I hope to use technology in any way I can to make my life easier. I like the podcast's idea about using Diigo or Evernote to keep track of sources while creating lesson plans. I agree with the podcast's point that keeping electronic notes and sharing them is a great way to keep better records and share your ideas with other teachers. 

Wiki Project

The wiki class assignment helped me learn how to create my own wiki online with others. This semester I also had to edit a class wiki on Blackboard, and I liked PBworks better because it is public and easier to edit. I think that creating a wiki on a topic is a great way to learn more about something while teaching other people, so it is definitely a tool I would want to use in my classroom in the future. This assignment was also focused on making our own criteria to evaluate web resources, which is a very important topic. Making sure that students only receive the highest quality information is important, and it is also a good idea to teach students to evaluate sources for themselves. 

Post #5: Web 2.0 and Concept Maps

Web 2.0 in the Classroom

The ELA standards create the need for teachers to incorporate Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, blog sites, social networks, and video sharing sites into their classrooms. I think that almost any form of Web 2.0 technology could be applicable in the classroom setting. The challenge for teachers with Web 2.0 tools is making sure that the technology they choose to use with their students is closely tied to their lesson plans and appropriate for the age of the students. While social networking can be a valuable tool to connect with students and parents, it would probably not be appropriate to encourage elementary school students to get Twitter accounts. 

I really like the idea of blogging sites such as Kidblog or Blogger in the classroom because it allows students to express themselves and be creative while discussing what they learned in school. As a prospective English teacher, I would like to incorporate a class blog into my teaching to encourage my students to practice their creative writing. However, all of my students would need access to a computer with internet access in order to create a class blog. Chapter 5 of the textbook described the different types of devices that can be used in the classroom. The input devices in this example would be the mouse and keyboard, the output device is the monitor, and the important peripherals would be the system unit and hard drive. This project would also require network technology such as wifi.

Web 2.0 Tools

The Web 2.0 tool that I found is a free web tool that lets kids create their own comic strips called Make Beliefs Comics. The website includes free lesson plans and printables. I like that students can type in any language, which is helpful for ESOL students. I chose a comic creator because I was looking for more ways that my students could express their creativity in the classroom.

Make Beliefs also has a mobile app (though the app is paid), so students could create comics on tablets or other mobile devices. I thought that the site was fun and easy to use, and I created a quick comic with it.

Concept Map

I like making concept maps and diagrams, looking at information visually (especially when it's history!) has always helped me learn. However, I really did not enjoy working with Webspiration. I think that this tool is not user friendly at all, and it runs really slowly on every computer I've tried it on. Since it was so frustrating to use for me, I do not think I would want my students to use it. I think this assignment taught me that there are many tools out there to make concept maps, and this one was not for me. That being said, I like what me and Kelty have made, and here's a sneak peak at our concept map:

Post #4: Web Scavenger Hunting

CPALMS Standard

The standard that I chose to examine was SS.912.A.2.1, which is a Social Studies standard that states: "Review causes and consequences of the Civil War." I found a webpage that outlines five main causes of the Civil War, and it includes a short video that summarizes the main points of the article. The textbook would probably classify this type of resource as reference software, because it provides an interactive overview of historical events. I liked this site because it also included audio and visuals in the short video, as well as links to other articles on the same subject embedded in the text of the post.

Internet-Based Resources

I have used web-based resources throughout my career as a student for research projects. I have to admit, I am very used to Google searching anything I need, which does not always provide high quality sources. I also do not often consider whether or not my software is open source when I am using something for personal use, but I will have to be more aware of content licensing as a teacher. Open-source software intrigues me because it is open for anyone to use and improve, though I doubt I will ever be good enough at programming to try and change the software myself. 

Web Hunt

For the Web Hunt, I found myself falling on old habits and using Google for almost everything, In the future, I hope to become more comfortable using other search engines and databases in addition to Google. Here are my search challenges for everyone:

• Find an online interactive model of the water cycle.
• Find a video that summarizes the causes of the American Revolution.

Review causes and consequences of the Civil War

Post #3: ELA Standards, Technology in the Classroom, and Newsletter Design

ELA Standards

The ELA standard that I feel most prepared to teach is EL.7, the standard on multimedia literature. I am excited about the idea of incorporating visual and audio into my lesson plans, and I feel comfortable doing this through YouTube videos. The standard that makes me the most nervous is the standard RI.7, because I feel that I need more practice before I will be comfortable creating engaging multimedia text for my students to use.

Technology in the Classroom

I hope to teach high school English. I hope to incorporate multimedia projects to make my lessons more engaging. I will need to teach my students digital citizenship by making sure that I follow fair use policies in my own presentations. Since I will be teaching older students, I can also teach them how to responsibly use copyrighted material in their class projects. 

Newsletter Design

The newsletter design project taught me how to do a few new things with Microsoft Word, such as how to create two columns on a page. I have to admit that I struggled with this project because I had a hard time making everything align on the page the way that I wanted. This project showed me that I still have more to learn about a program I thought I was very familiar with,