Final Posting

I completed both of the course evaluations and have checked my grades on blackboard. Everything looks good! :)

Internet Safety Reflection

1. What article did you choose to read for your article of choice?
I read "An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World" by President Gordon B. Hinckley
2. Describe the video resources you watched?
I was able to watch ten clips from the website "Netsmartz" as well as the "Fauxpaws" video, some PBS documentaries, and "Katie's Story" from WebWise Kids. The Netsmartz videos were the most memorable because they gave very specific scenarios about online bullying and predation. I think that this was a great site to introduce teens to the dangers of the internet and teach them how to deal with online persecution.
3. Write a paragraph describing what your most important "take-aways" were from the readings and video?
The message that I internalized from this activity was that the internet can be used for good, but there are many dangers associated with it that we, as teachers, need to be aware of. It is so important to teach the children of this generation about internet safety and what can be done to avoid online predators. I also think it is important that children learn to protect their identity by not revealing personal information on websites. I thought it was interesting to learn about online bullying as well, since I have not thought much about the possibility of being teased on the internet by friends at school. This is also something we should teach students about.
4. Write a paragraph or more describing the details of your "doing" experience (you don't need to include any names). This might include:
The person I talked to actually knew a lot about the topic. He is a big advocate for internet safety and actually does not approve of any sharing of personal information on the internet. He really does not like MySpace, Facebook, or even Blogging. Basically, he thinks that the farthest you should take online correspondence is email. He does not like instant messaging or chat rooms either. Anyway, he knew that you should not give your real name, address, or any contact information to anyone on the internet and that you should not agree to meet anyone either. He was a little surprised to hear that some young teenage girls actually agree to meet the men they chat with online. He did not know that some people are not aware of internet predators or precautions to take when using the internet. I think that because he now knows stories like this, he will be even more precautious with internet safety and especially with his children.

TPACK

Here is the link to my TPACK!
http://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dc3hgqkq_10d4xhzfcv

Lesson Plans

Here is the link to my lesson plans on google docs:
Science: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc3hgqkq_875c3f9cv
Math: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc3hgqkq_7g85k8md6
Language Arts: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc3hgqkq_6cd8wzrfh

Week 10 Video Response

I think that the most important thing I learned from watching these videos is that technology can be used in the classroom even with young children. I have been feeling like the lessons I have planned thus far in our IP&T class have focused more on the upper grades in elementary school and I was having a hard time thinking of how I could write three lesson plans and implement one in the first grade classroom I am currently in. These videos demonstrated that, as a teacher, you can be the one to teach young children how to use technology. I think that my fear was that the students would not be familiar with computers and I would have to teach them the basics of how to even use a mouse. These videos showed that you can be the one to teach them that. I was inspired at how these teachers used technology even in kindergarten classrooms.

Technology Survey

In working at a Title I school, I went in expecting some extras in technology availability that may not have been at a different school. However, since I am in a first grade classroom, my teacher does not use the technology that is available and she was not aware of everything that is available to her. In talking with other faculty at the school, I found that Geneva Elementary has two classroom laptop carts, a classroom IPod touch set, as well as a classroom set of Nintendo DS. This really interested me and I was surprised to find out that the older classes take spelling tests on individual IPods and do math on the Nintendos. It is very cool to see different ways technology can be used for education.

I completed the midcourse evaluation as well as the informed consent.

Science Activity

Science Planning

I am very excited to do this science activity! Here is my plan for a lesson on gravity.

CONTENT: 3rd Grade Science Core, Standard Four: Students will understand that objects near Earth are pulled toward Earth by gravity.
I would like to include both objectives:
1. Demonstrate that gravity is a force
2. Describe the effects of gravity on the motion of an object

PEDAGOGY: I will teach a lesson defining gravity. I will include an interactive activity where the children can try dropping different items to see the difference in gravity's pull on each object. I will point out that some items fall faster than others and ask why they think that is. After observing, I will have students conduct an inquiry project by filling out the OWL chart (Observe, Wonder, Learned). In the "Observe" category, I will have them explain or draw what they observed during the lesson. I will then have the students write a question about gravity in the "Wonder" category. They will then be responsible to research, experiment, etc to find the answer to their question and record it in the "Learned" category. After they have finished their OWL chart, I will have the students complete the activity on Kidspiration about gravity to assess if they have a true understanding of the concept. I believe this pedagogy will help students learn the concept of gravity because they will: first, be able to see gravity in action; second, be able to research a question of their own and discover that gravity has a different affect on everything; third, be able to demonstrate their knowledge of gravity and its effect on different things by completing an activity on Kidspiration. My lesson plan encourages students to ask questions about the environment and plan a simple investigation, as the National Science Standards state is suitable for Grades K-4.

TECHNOLOGY: I will be using Kidspiration for this lesson. I will use two activities form the Science category. The first is the OWL chart that the students will use to complete their inquiry assignment. The second activity is "Gravity Pulls" which I will use as a way to assess student learning. This technology works perfectly with the pedagogy and content because it supports my efforts as a teacher to help my students investigate and become independent learners. The gravity activity also helps students to see if they really understood the content. If they have misconceptions regarding gravity, it will become apparent in the activity provided by Kidspiration.

The Virtual Tours of My Classmates

I watched the Virtual Tours of:
Marni Story
Ashley Howden
Alyssa Young

Each of these Tours differed from my own. I was excited to see what types of tools on Google Earth other classmates were able to make use of. I enjoyed these Virtual Tours.

Virtual Tour

Yay! Finally finished. :)

My Virtual Tour is called Utah's Wetlands, Forests, and Deserts.

The link to it is:

http://sites.google.com/site/carmensfilecabinet/ipt-class/Utah%27sWetlands%2CForests%2CandDesertsAVirtualTour.kmz?attredirects=0&d=1

Virtual Tour Planning

Location	Activity Description	Google Earth Content
1. Pariette Wetlands	Follow the link next to the place mark. Read about the Pariette Wetlands and record your thoughts on the impact of humans on this specific habitat. Do you think what has been done is good or bad?	Path tool, placemark, link to website.
2. The Great Salt Lake Desert	Follow the link and read about the different types of deserts. Look at different pictures of the Great Salt Lake Desert. Identify which type of desert the Great Salt Lake Desert is.	Path tool, placemark, images, link to uen.org
3. Dixie National Forest	Look at the endangered species list on google earth under the Global Awareness layer and list which animals you think live in a habitat like the Dixie National Forest.	Path tool, placemark, Global Awareness layer-ARKive: Endangered Species List, Wild Sanctuary .kmz file
4. Wasatch-Cache National Forest	Go to the link "Dr. Arbor Talks Trees" and complete the interactive activity to learn more about trees.	Path tool, placemark, link to the online interactive activity.

My virtual tour will be a tour of specific wetlands, forests, and deserts in Utah. This aligns with the State Core for 4th Grade: Standard 5, Objective 1 which says, "Describe the physical characteristics of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts."

Video Stories!

I had a great time watching the videos of my classmates. Here's what I have to say about them:

Marni Story created a video about the seasons. The pictures were very vivid and I really loved the text that she used and the different colors introducing the different seasons. Very creative!

Camila Monteiro used the song "B-I-N-G-O" with hand drawn pictures to encourage students to think of other dogs' names and spell them. I thought this was a great idea to help younger children with literacy and phonics.

Kristen's video was a family history story and it was very cute. It was kind of like a fairy tale, which would be fun for kids. I also think that it was a good way to demonstrate what she would be looking for from her students if she were to ask them to create a family history video.

Ashley Daley made a trailer for "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." I really liked the pictures that she found and I thought that she did a great job implementing music from Lord of the Rings to make her trailer dynamic and entertaining.

Whitney Lethcoe also did a family history video. Her video taught that even though they are family, each member of the family is unique. I think this is something that children need to realize and it would be fun for them to be able to tell what is special or unique about each member of their own family.

Allie Becker's video was a fun story about a boy named Rico who discovers glasses that allow him to see color. I thought this was a really fun and unique idea to teach children about colors and I loved how the video was interactive. This was one of my favorites.

Storyboard

So I decided to do a poetry interpretation. After sharing my video with the students, I will be able to introduce a poetry unit. I am especially excited for the opportunity to integrate math skills as well with the poem that I chose. The children will be able to participate in a discussion on monetary units. I think that it will be a fun video that students will enjoy and learn from.

Here is my storyboard:

Web 2.0

Here is my new wiki site:
http://knowledgeisbliss.pbworks.com

Wow. I did not know that anything could be so intense. Half of these tools that we just learned about I did not even know existed. I think that they are cool though. The google document and the google reader I especially like. They seem like useful tools that I would use in a classroom setting. I think that the hardest thing I had to do was to put together my content page for my wiki site. It was frustrating to try and enter all the html sources for what I wanted to add to my page and I learned that some things would disappear if I didn't enter them in a certain order. So that was a little learning moment. :) But it was fun to edit a picture! I liked that part.

So here is my Diigo:

Here is my Google Reader:


Here is my Good Reads:


And here is my conversation over google video:

Education . . . to me.

I think that the deepest reason that I love education or the idea of education is that we, as teachers, have the chance to shape the future of our world through the rising generations. Educators are in a position to make a tangible difference in the world. I love the idea of being able to change the life of even one child and see what that child is able to do with his or her future. I take education very seriously and believe that it is a responsibility that is almost sacred; we are being entrusted with God's children. We are held accountable to Him as well as to the students we teach, their parents, administrators, the government, and society as a whole. Let's take the opportunity we are given and make the world a better place!