New way of thinking about education

The thing that made the biggest impression on me during this class was the theory of connectivism and the way technology has made it possible.  When I was in school, even college, it was very much a lecture-memorize-test loop.  It's not that way anymore.  We really do live in a "new world" so to speak.  The students we educate will need to work in collaborative ways with people who may be physically close to them or who may be across the planet.  They will need to have mastery of the current technology and the understanding of how best to apply it appropriately in order to be successful.  We can't go backward and we can't stop the changes that are happening.  Educators have to catch up and master these new technologies too.

Podcast

During this class I created a podcast as a requirement for an assignment in which I talked about ways that I could possibly use this technology inside my classroom as well as ways I had viewed other teachers using it in their classrooms. When I first sat down to do the podcast I didn't know what to expect or know how it would turn out being one that doesn't like to record or hear himself speak. As I sat down and began to do the podcast and tried it a few times I began to become more comfortable and by the end actually enjoyed the assignment. I decided a few days later that I would use a podcast in my World History class as an assignment. The initial reaction by the students was much like mine, they wanted no part of this assignment and immediately wanted to know if submitting a written version was acceptable. Once I declined the written version the students then asked if they could take a class vote to decide if they had to do this particular assignment and if they received enough votes against it could we do away with it. Finally the students accepted that they were going to do this assignment and began researching their information that they would include in their podcast over various topics from WWII. At first they weren't very happy but as the assignment progressed and the students dug deeper into the material and began recording much like me they began to become more comfortable with the assignment. After all of the students had submitted their assignments and we had a chance as a class to listen to them and discuss what it was like their opinions had completely changed on using podcast as an assignment, Currently my students are asking on a daily basis when they can do their next podcast in class. Without this class I would have never given podcast a second thought as a resource to use inside my classroom, luckily this class opened me up to not only podcast but several other ways to use technology in the classroom to find ways to get students more interested in learning.

EDUC 573 A

Since I began teaching I've used Power Point presentations on a regular basis and have always found them as a good resource to use to enhance lessons. Beyond using Power Points I had never attempted to use any of the other resources that we learned about during this class such as blogs, podcasts or screencasts. I've never felt comfortable with hearing or seeing myself speak and I was actually not looking forward to completing most of the assignments required for this class. After doing the first few assignments I began to become more comfortable with the different types of technology that we were using for this class and no longer feared using any of this technology but instead found myself trying to incorporate it in as many of my classes as I possible could when it was possible. In the beginning I noticed the same fear and worries in my students that I had at the beginning of this class, they didn't want to speak and have their voice recorded or be on video, little long have it listened to or watched by other students. But like me after a few times through the process their fears not only went away but it was something that they wanted to do more frequently and was eager to do the next time. I still use Power Points on a regular basis but now I am also using podcasting and screencasting in all of my classes. My next goal is to find a way to use a blog in one of my classes hopefully in the near future. This class was something that I feared once I first saw the assignments and began to understand what they were but weeks later I have found this class as a huge resource that has expanded my abilities and given me resources in the classroom to use that I had never dreamed of.

Webquest-Animals in Camouflage

I'll never forget looking at my assignment which was titled, "Create your own Webquest". I was thinking to myself, "What is that?" After reading it through and contemplating about it, I came to the conclusion I would create a webquest on our current 2nd grade reading unit, "Animals in Camouflage". To make a long story short, I completed the webquest and my students had an absolute blast with it. It was so nice to see them collaboratively working as a team and having fun while completing their assignment. They have continued to talk about this webquest. This is something I plan to use year after year during this unit and I look forward to creating many more in the future!

EDUC 573-Wow, was I wrong!

When I first signed up for this class, due to requirements, I thought it would be an absolute breeze. I thought I was up to date and knew all the ends and outs of technology. Wow, was I wrong! I was completely clueless when it came to creating a Webcast or a Podcast. I've learned several new things throughout this course that I can most definitely use in my classroom. I'll be forever grateful for this course.
I'd like to give a special thanks to Dr. Rubin. He's been extremely helpful to me throughout this whole course! He's answered my many questions and always been reliable when I had a question!

I shouldn't have worried

When I registered for this class because it was required for my program I was worried.  I was worried because while I feel comfortable with things like e-mail and creating digital presentations, I don't have a Facebook or Twitter account.  I was pretty sure this class was going to take me way out of my comfort zone.  Now that the class is over I can say that I was right and wrong at the same time.  I feel like this class didn't so much push me beyond my comfortable limits as it pushed those boundaries further out.  It made my comfort zone larger and it opened a whole new world has opened up to me.

Students without internet...

In my several years of teaching I have struggled with how to incorporate technology with the students that don't have internet at home.  Here are a few of the solutions that I have came up with...

• Print out a hard copy of what they need to do and allow then to complete it with paper and pencil
• Allow them to do their morning work as homework and their homework as morning work on the classroom computers

How do other teachers handle this in their classrooms?

What is a BLOG?

        I have taught for 14 years and just realized this year what a blog truly is.  Most schools that I have taught at required their teachers to have a blog, but I always thought of it as a place to post assignments, student websites, and important classroom information.  I know it's okay to use it for some of this stuff now, but its main purpose is to create conversations between groups of people.   
        Instead of using the blog for these online conversations I used Edmodo instead.  But, since learning of how a blog can truly work I feel as I could use both in the classroom now.