One of the favorite things that we have learned and utilized in our class is facebook. I think that it's neat how you can customize it and make it your own. Also it's very nice how you can connect with all your friends and stay in touch with them. Now people are using facebook to rekindle old friendships and to meet new people. This way it's easy for people to stay in touch and is very accessible to all around the world. Another cool thing is that as of right now facebook does not charge any money to make an account, it's completely free! This way more people will be inclined to join. Another aspect of facebook that is really cool is the fact that they have games on there. On these games you can play with other people, not just people you know either so this way you get to know others.
On facebook there are places to leave messages so it's a good way to contact your students or parents if they are in older grades. This way it's a more informal way to talk to them, and also it lets them know that you care about them and want them to do well in class. I don't think however that I would use facebook for younger grades because I'd rather not have to deal with it and honesly I think there are better things that kids can do then be on the computer all day. But for older grades I think that using facebook would make me as a teacher seem more real and cool to the students. This way I think they will be more willing to talk to us because they won't think that we are old and dry.
Along with keeping in contact with people facebook is yet another way to talk to the other teachers that you work with. This way there is more communication throughout the school and the teachers can correlate what they're teaching the students. :) All around facebook is a nice way to stay in contact with friends and to communicate with the students so that everyone is on the same page.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Kidspiration and Inspiration
These tools are pretty much my favorite thing that we have learned thus far. I really enjoyed playing around and experimenting with the programs because I think it's important for us as teachers, to try the things we have our students do. This way we have the experience and can help them if needed because we actually know what we're talking about. I've had some teachers in the past who didn't know the assignment/program so when we as students had questions they were not able to help us. Not only is this frustrating but it makes the students think that because the teacher doesn't know it we as students, don't need to either.
I think that one of the best aspects of this tool is that there is one for older grades and one for younger grades. This way each grade can work from their own skill and expertise level. For example, I love on Inspiration how the diagrams are more complex and intriguing. This way the students can think critically while completing any assignment given to them. On Inspiration I played around with the dream poem diagram. This was so fun! It takes something I already know how to do but presents it in a new, interesting way. I already knew how diagrams work but to be able to put pictures and thoughts into it was a great way to add personality to something so generic. Also I like the fact that the templates are there for them to use. This way the students can focus more on the content then the actual layout which will make for a better performance from them in the long run.
In Kidspiration I like that the first thing it brings up is an option for the students to make their own work or to add and change one that is already available. Also there are different subjects that they can choose from to help them know what to do. One of my favorite things in Kidspiration is the math adding it up activity. Usually I steer clear of math because I do not like it but this activity is very user friendly and fun. Even if all the students have to do this activity i like that each and every one will be different since they can use colors, as well as any number they want depending on the assignment. The one that I did had to be adding and the number had to add to six so this makes it a little more limited but still fun. Plus I like at the top how it tells them exactly what they need to do. This allows the students to always be able to see the instructions instead of having to keep asking someone what to do.
All in all I enjoyed these programs very much. They are user friendly and fun for the whole class! It's a new way to look at 'busywork'. By incorporating these activities the assignments will not seem so time consuming and boring. Making it so the students actually want to do them!
I think that one of the best aspects of this tool is that there is one for older grades and one for younger grades. This way each grade can work from their own skill and expertise level. For example, I love on Inspiration how the diagrams are more complex and intriguing. This way the students can think critically while completing any assignment given to them. On Inspiration I played around with the dream poem diagram. This was so fun! It takes something I already know how to do but presents it in a new, interesting way. I already knew how diagrams work but to be able to put pictures and thoughts into it was a great way to add personality to something so generic. Also I like the fact that the templates are there for them to use. This way the students can focus more on the content then the actual layout which will make for a better performance from them in the long run.
In Kidspiration I like that the first thing it brings up is an option for the students to make their own work or to add and change one that is already available. Also there are different subjects that they can choose from to help them know what to do. One of my favorite things in Kidspiration is the math adding it up activity. Usually I steer clear of math because I do not like it but this activity is very user friendly and fun. Even if all the students have to do this activity i like that each and every one will be different since they can use colors, as well as any number they want depending on the assignment. The one that I did had to be adding and the number had to add to six so this makes it a little more limited but still fun. Plus I like at the top how it tells them exactly what they need to do. This allows the students to always be able to see the instructions instead of having to keep asking someone what to do.
All in all I enjoyed these programs very much. They are user friendly and fun for the whole class! It's a new way to look at 'busywork'. By incorporating these activities the assignments will not seem so time consuming and boring. Making it so the students actually want to do them!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Group Projects
This weeks tool was really cool to me. I liked that we were able to work in groups because to me, group projects help me learn more. With different views and different brians it brings something completely new to the table that you might not have thought about before. It's always nice to see the different points of view of people as well. Also I like that we had to do three different projects. I think my favorite powerpoint was the one we did with the digital cameras though. It was cool that we were able to choose our own topic and that we were also able to add our own ideas to it. For me it's important to do this because the students will be more engaged with the project and they will be able to be more focused. When i was playing around with the powerpoint program on my computer i was so fascinated because there were so many cool things that I was able to play around with and incorperate into it. It is nice because no matter if all the students have to make a powerpoint they will each be unique because each student adds their own flavor to them. For our powerpoints i like that we were able to have transitions and that each of us had a specific job because this way it isn't so stressful. I think powerpoints are a good way to help students reach out of their comfort zone and also they will be able to learn to work with other kids. Powerpoints can be helpful for people who are scared of technology because they are so user friendly and easy to work with. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)