Technology Project Reflection

How do I feel as I reflect on the finished project???

VUE Tutorial

Below you will find a tutorial I completed for my 5th grade reading class.  Using VUE, I would like for my students to learn to create a graphic organizer or concept map for their weekly reading stories.  VUE is relatively easy to use and free to download.  Using the story title, I would like for them to create the focus of their map.  From there they can link to other concepts they find throughout the story.  Each of these topics can be extended to other subtopics.  The final creation should be an overview of the story and clearly demonstrate their understanding of the story.  You can view my tutorial at the following address via full screen:  http://www.screencast.com/t/QrsfnqalVZrH or by just using the embedded link below.

Happy Birthday Chloe!!

 Well, it's hard to believe, but Chloe will be 1 year old on Oct. 26, 2010.  Although we dearly miss Haley, she has definitely added joy and love to our home.  Here she is in her cute pink snowflake dress!

Well, they say it's a dog's life!!

Church Outside the Walls Murfreesboro, TN

What a great experience!  In Murfreesboro, TN, a day called Church Outside the Walls was experienced on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2010.  Various churches from the area, including ours, Real Life Community Church, participated in taking the Church to the community.  Our church was divided into four groups.  Each group was assigned a particular place to go share and connect with others.  Our group visited Pittard Elem. School to work on landscaping.  There were approximately 150-200 people who worked at our site.  Afterwards, everyone who participated at each site went to the park for a cookout and singing.  All in all it was a great experience.  Thanks to the people who thought up this idea and shared it with our church!!

SlideBoom Presentation

Geometry: Identify Lines

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I created a game for my PowerPoint presentation last week.  So I really wasn't sure exactly how to present it on SlideBoom.  So, I was the narrator and the one who played the game and answered the questions.  The only downside to this is that I didn't show the slide that was displayed in case of a missed answer.

I think the version that uses both text and images is the most effective tool.  When using all images, I found it hard to give any directions and tried to convey those through the use of pictures.  However, not everyone would be able to know what the pictures meant for sure.  The use of SlideBoom is very handy and appropriate for many uses.  However, for my game, I think it would be best used without SlideBoom so each individual could interact in their own way.  Using this tool on a class blog for homework help however would be a great tool.  This could convey to parents as well exactly what directions were expected to be followed.  In the future, I will consider my images and text more closely to convey the meaning I am truly intending.

Summary of the 23 Things Journey

I have really enjoyed the 23 Things journey.  Although some of the things weren't totally new, I was able to rediscover why I looked into them in the first place.  I did, though, learn many new and creative ways to add info to my blog and my classroom.  I am truly a life-long learner, and I want to inspire my students to be too.  With all the technology we have at our fingertips, learning about about anything, from anywhere is possible, not to mention fun.  I have learned how much I really enjoy blogging.  Other than other classmates' blogs, I had never really checked out anyone else's blog.  Seeing what others are blogging about and just how creative their sites are is inspiring.  Although I only saw bits and pieces of the movie, I even searched for the blog about Julie/Julia Childs that was made into a movie.  Some of the items I learned about, but had never used before were the RSS feeds, Animoto, and the online image generators.  These are definitely items I plan to continue to use and learn more about.

Where do I go from here?  Well, I certainly hope to continue my blog even after my graduate classes are finished.  I was happy to discover one day that some of my students have been checking it out.  I know this because one came up and asked me "What thing are you on now?"  That was very exciting!  I hope that my work and ideas will inspire someone in someway.  The Cool Cat, in a former post, said it best, so here are her words, not mine:  "If you died today and don't share 'your secret', it will die with you and you will miss the chance to leave behind something far more important...a legacy."  I can only hope to do just that!

Thing #23 - Creative Commons

This info at the bottom of the Learning 2.0 - 23 Things for Teachers website shows me an example of using the Creative Commons license.

*Note: This project is loosely based upon the website 43Things (which allows you to set and track personal goals) and the Stephen Abram article titled 43 Things I (or You) might want to do this year (Information Outlook - Feb 2006).



I thought that the video, “A Fair(y) Use Tale”, did a great job explaining copyright info, not to mention that they used a vary creative way to do this.  Now that I know more about Creative Commons and how to utilize it, I want to use it more often in my classroom to create lessons that really inspire and capture the students attention.  I also hope to share more of this info with coworkers who are interested in learning about Creative Commons and how to use it in their classrooms.  I think that it is also important to share with older students exactly what copyright, plagiarism, and Creative Commons are all about.

Thing #22 - Podcasts

I found a neat podcasts created by a 5th grade class on Podcastdirectory.com.  It is called the ColeyCast.  The particular podcast I listened to was #48 on the different types of sentences.  It was very neat to hear that the students participated and did the podcast.  This would be a great way to have the class practice, study, and teach others about any topic you might be teaching.  It could also be posted to a blog so that the students had access to it to study by or use it for homework help.  The only downside would be that some students may not have internet access at home or any other means to connect to it.  I did try the Educational Podcast Directory, but couldn't find anything in elementary math (unless I wasn't searching correctly).  For a previous class, EDUC 5616, I did have to create a podcast of my own either using GarageBand or Audacity.    Audacity is a free open source software for recording and editing sounds, like podcasts.  Here is a podcast I created about prime factorization.  For me, though, I thought having visuals would make it a lot easier to teach and for someone else to learn.  I am not sure how or if you can do this with podcasting.  Still learning!!

My Podcast on Prime factorization

Thing # 21 - Animoto

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.


Animoto is extremely easy for any one to use.  I had a lot of fun creating this video of an off road trip with friends.  We love going off roading and seeing who can get through the mud holes!  Usually we take turns so we can get pics.  Sometimes we also have to pull each other out when we get stuck.  LOL!

Animoto would be great to use for open house at school, parties, and anytime you want to share pictures of events or projects that your class has been working on together.  If posted online, you would obviously have to get parental permission.  I would like to look into creating them without sharing or posting online.  It might even be a neat gift to give to each student to remember the school year by.  I think most parents would consider it as a nice keepsake of their children's school years.  I can't wait to keep creating more!!  I advise everyone to check out Animoto!!

Thing # 20 - YouTube

YouTube has some hilarious videos.  This is one of my favs.  I think I first saw it in one of my graduate classes.  It reminds me of people I've tried to help with computers and technology.  Some people are so afraid of losing thingsor tearing it up that they never just try to explore and learn.  Although I'm really older than the digital age generation, I love learning new technology.  I suppose it's like anything.  You have to be willing to fail a little or make mistakes to learn anything.  My hangup is cooking!  My mom is a great cook, and I didn't inherit any of it.  I do try though.  I have come up with some really weird concoctions.  LOL!

Unfortunately, YouTube is blocked at our school.  I realize it's because you never know what your search might turn up.  However, there are some videos I would deem appropriate and useable in an educational setting.  I wish that the site could be utilized at school, and only the inappropriate videos would be blocked.  However, I have been able to save a short video about technology ideas onto a flash drive and been able to share it with my principal.  So there are ways of still using it.  Another idea would be nice if just teachers had access.  This would allow you to find appropriate videos for your lessons during your planning time.

Another video I love is the one about the Evolution of Dance, but I think one of my classmates already shared it.  So I decided to share this one.  First of all, don't get freaked out!  I am not a witch or anything like that!  I found it after attending a meeting at the historical society in my area.  At the meeting, someone mentioned "witching for graves" to find unmarked graves in cemeteries.  The group is writing a book on all the cemeteries in this area.  Although I had heard of people who could "witch for water" when digging a well, I had never heard of this.  I came right home and started Googleing!!  This is the video showing how to "witch for graves".  It seems to only work for some people.  I tried it and it really worked!

Thing #19 - Other Social Networks

I joined TeacherPop a few years ago while taking summer classes.  I think TeacherPop is a great way for teachers to communicate and share ideas that work using a "Teacher" friendly site.  To me, it is a great alternative to FaceBook.  Here is the Ning badge I'm adding to my blog:


Visit TeacherPop


I also thought this might be a great guide for those teachers who are still using FaceBook.  I found it on the TeacherPop Site and decided to add it to my blog.

Teacher's Guide to Using Facebook (Read Fullscreen)

As I stated in a previous blog post, I am a member of LinkedIn.  However, I would like to check out some of the other sites listed such as Classroom 2.0 Ning or College 2.0.  I will keep you posted!

Thing # 18 - Social Networking

I have to say that I really don't like social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. I also don't see any uses for them in the classroom either. At the beginning of this school year, the attorney from the state dept. of education spoke to our district. She strongly advised against using it as well. She did say, however, if we did use it, we should never add students or parents as friends. In her recommendation, this was not the appropriate site for this type of communication.
Since I don't have an account on either site, I have not been able to view anyone' s page. However, I only know through comments made at school about certain situations. For example, I was told by one parent that she viewed the Facebook page of a teacher that I worked with. On it, the teacher had pictures of herself with friends out drinking and partying. Personally, I don't think this sets a very good example for her students. Another incident I have heard about at our school from several people involves a teacher who goes on daily and posts comments about things that happen at school. Those who work there and know the situations know exactly who and what she is talking about. At the beginning of this year, she was finally granted tenure. I heard that she posted something like...I guess those CSES teachers are stuck with me now! To me, both of the previous incidents are completely unprofessional. Due to hearing about incidents like these and much worse in the news, I really don't see a need for a teacher to have a Facebook page. I do suppose its like anything else. It's what you make of it. You either use it appropriately or not. So, instead I joined another site called Linkedin. Hopefully, this site will serve as my social networking site just as well as the other two choices. I am not sure if it has all the same features as the other two, but it works for me. Here is the link to my public profile page: Lisa Bunde on LinkedIn.