Ok everyone! Here is my final project for my class. Now...I know there are a lot of web tools out there, but I needed something that I can easily maintain during my school year. I chose to create a wiki site that could house all of my important information/documents for my parents and students to use whenever they needed to use them. I have a page for all of our subjects and on each page parents and students can leave comments or questions they may have. In the science/social studies areas I will be leaving weekly/chapter topic questions and the students will need to respond. They will be graded on their responses/participation to our discussions. I have invited the parents also to write questions or comments also to further and deepen our discussions. I think this will be an awesome and engaging tool for our classroom community. This includes parents too! This space will change as our subject topics change...this will take time to update, but nothing compared to the time I had been wasting with my other website. This is a very organized place for students/parents to use. Yeah! I'm happy with my project!
Check it out! http://clement4thgrade.pbworks.com
What do you think? Easy to use? Any additional ideas?
Monday, July 26, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Week 5 Tool Exploration:
Well...today after a little bit more exploration...I think I'm going to be creating both a wiki page to link to from my school website and also a blog so students can communicate and publish some cool information. I am nervous about starting it but I'll get to it this weekend. This way I'll have a good amount of time before school starts to build a couple of great learning communities to have students AND parents get involved in. I spent quite a bit of time this week getting a feel for and got some great ideas of what I am going to put out there for my students. I know it will be pretty basic for now until I progress and get better...who knows...my 4th graders will be teaching me some cool new things on here as well :0) Well...now I'm going to relax for the weekend. I'm camping in Salt Lake with my family and we plan to enjoy a HOT day tomorrow at Lagoon! See ya all next week!!! Go Science!
Well...today after a little bit more exploration...I think I'm going to be creating both a wiki page to link to from my school website and also a blog so students can communicate and publish some cool information. I am nervous about starting it but I'll get to it this weekend. This way I'll have a good amount of time before school starts to build a couple of great learning communities to have students AND parents get involved in. I spent quite a bit of time this week getting a feel for and got some great ideas of what I am going to put out there for my students. I know it will be pretty basic for now until I progress and get better...who knows...my 4th graders will be teaching me some cool new things on here as well :0) Well...now I'm going to relax for the weekend. I'm camping in Salt Lake with my family and we plan to enjoy a HOT day tomorrow at Lagoon! See ya all next week!!! Go Science!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Week 5- Blogs and Wikis
I have come to the conclusion for my final project that I am going to create a learning/communicating environment for students and parents to work with. I haven't decided which I am going to use quite yet...wiki or a blog, but I do have some great ideas of what I am going to include in either one. I may actually do both! I have enjoyed finding my way around a lot of different blogs and reading a lot of information out there. I think my students would really benefit and enjoy having a place to have their own science chats. I may give them some prompts or questions they need to answer and they can communicate with eachother. I would like to invite parents to also get involved so they can see their child's comments and comment back. What an awesome way to communicate! The kids are so interested in technology and putting science and technology together is super simple as I am learning in this web tools class.
I also would like to create a wiki page that keeps my important information or study sheets so that students can study before hand and that they have all of that important information any time they need it. We can work together on projects with out having to do it all at school. Students can work together without having to go over to eachothers houses. These kids like to learn online and pretty much doing whatever they can on the computer! This truely motivates them and I am TOTALLY excited to start building my blog and/or wiki for my students~!
I have come to the conclusion for my final project that I am going to create a learning/communicating environment for students and parents to work with. I haven't decided which I am going to use quite yet...wiki or a blog, but I do have some great ideas of what I am going to include in either one. I may actually do both! I have enjoyed finding my way around a lot of different blogs and reading a lot of information out there. I think my students would really benefit and enjoy having a place to have their own science chats. I may give them some prompts or questions they need to answer and they can communicate with eachother. I would like to invite parents to also get involved so they can see their child's comments and comment back. What an awesome way to communicate! The kids are so interested in technology and putting science and technology together is super simple as I am learning in this web tools class.
I also would like to create a wiki page that keeps my important information or study sheets so that students can study before hand and that they have all of that important information any time they need it. We can work together on projects with out having to do it all at school. Students can work together without having to go over to eachothers houses. These kids like to learn online and pretty much doing whatever they can on the computer! This truely motivates them and I am TOTALLY excited to start building my blog and/or wiki for my students~!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Week 4 tool exploration:
As I was going through exploring some new web tools I found a great website. Go to http://www.getdropbox.com/. This website will let you keep all of your files on the web and be able to get them when ever you need them. Instead of always having to have YOUR computer now you can get on any computer any where and be able to get to work. This is going to be great for being at home working on lessons and not having to email them to myself at work! I'm getting started immediately!
I am also working on creating a webquest working with Google Earth. This will let my students be able to virtually see places in their community and around the world.
I have used online simulations for my schooling and have also brought in the classroom. I am lucky enough to have a SmartBoard in my classroom that lets the students be involved in the actual simulations. They really enjoy them and I will continue to look for more!
I found Create A Graph very cool! I am anxious to use this with my math class and use it in science also. I think this will really engage students and deepen understanding on why and how we use graphs.
As I was going through exploring some new web tools I found a great website. Go to http://www.getdropbox.com/. This website will let you keep all of your files on the web and be able to get them when ever you need them. Instead of always having to have YOUR computer now you can get on any computer any where and be able to get to work. This is going to be great for being at home working on lessons and not having to email them to myself at work! I'm getting started immediately!
I am also working on creating a webquest working with Google Earth. This will let my students be able to virtually see places in their community and around the world.
I have used online simulations for my schooling and have also brought in the classroom. I am lucky enough to have a SmartBoard in my classroom that lets the students be involved in the actual simulations. They really enjoy them and I will continue to look for more!
I found Create A Graph very cool! I am anxious to use this with my math class and use it in science also. I think this will really engage students and deepen understanding on why and how we use graphs.
Generating an Argument Instructional Model:
The teacher starts out with asking a research question, the students will generate a tenative argument defending their answer to the question. They will work in groups to defend their conclusion and use evidence and rationale that their peers can understand. They will work together to create a poster showing these points (question, evidence, and rationale) and share with the other students. As a wrap-up to the lesson, each student will get the chance to make sense of their argument with a writing prompt. As Victor Sampson and Jonathon Grooms state, "Writing makes each students' thinking visible to the teacher, which facilitates assessment and enables the teacher to provide students with educative feedback."
I think this instructional model does create active participation with students. With this engagement students will develop a deep understanding of the content they are studying.
The teacher starts out with asking a research question, the students will generate a tenative argument defending their answer to the question. They will work in groups to defend their conclusion and use evidence and rationale that their peers can understand. They will work together to create a poster showing these points (question, evidence, and rationale) and share with the other students. As a wrap-up to the lesson, each student will get the chance to make sense of their argument with a writing prompt. As Victor Sampson and Jonathon Grooms state, "Writing makes each students' thinking visible to the teacher, which facilitates assessment and enables the teacher to provide students with educative feedback."
I think this instructional model does create active participation with students. With this engagement students will develop a deep understanding of the content they are studying.
My reflection to our weekly reading assignment: Aquiring Online Data for Scientific Analysis
In 4th grade we don't use a lot of data analysis. If I taught a higher grade level I could really see the use for it. There is a lot of information out their that can take inquiry lessons to the next level. As I am looking back at my first sentence: In 4th grade we don't use a lot of data analysis...why don't I? It seems like we are so pressed for time that I haven't really expanded on my projects. I have changed a lot of my teaching into inquiry base learning, but I guess now that I am getting the hang of that...why not expand and throw in some data analysis. I guess I'm not sure on how to use data analysis in 4th grade? Any suggestions would definately be appreciated.
In 4th grade we don't use a lot of data analysis. If I taught a higher grade level I could really see the use for it. There is a lot of information out their that can take inquiry lessons to the next level. As I am looking back at my first sentence: In 4th grade we don't use a lot of data analysis...why don't I? It seems like we are so pressed for time that I haven't really expanded on my projects. I have changed a lot of my teaching into inquiry base learning, but I guess now that I am getting the hang of that...why not expand and throw in some data analysis. I guess I'm not sure on how to use data analysis in 4th grade? Any suggestions would definately be appreciated.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Voicethread, Glogster, and File Conversions
I have used Glogster before and so have my students. I like this site! My students had another teacher for Social Studies and she had them each do a glogster of a state of their choice. They were studying the different regions of the United States and they chose one state to do a glogster on. They had certain criteria they had to include on it, but these were awesome. I was team teaching with this teacher last year, but I will be doing social studies on my own this year and I plan to use her idea of this project and use glogster myself this year. I can see myself using it in other subject areas as well.
Voicethread- My administrator has shown us some important downloading techniques using Jing. I am going to use this to set up some important directions when exploring the internet. At the beginning of the year I will take my students to the computer lab and go through some basics and I will have this recorded through Jing. This will help my students learn the basics. I'm sure I can use it for many more things, but that is just the first thing I want to try.
Converting Files--our school blocks a lot of websites. I was told that we would be able to use YouTube if we conferted it to a certain file and bring it to school on a USB port and try it. I have not done this, but I am really interested in trying this out. I understand a lot of our web restrictions, but there are some AMAZING teaching tools out there that I need to be able to use. So this one I am definately going to dabble in :0)
Voicethread- My administrator has shown us some important downloading techniques using Jing. I am going to use this to set up some important directions when exploring the internet. At the beginning of the year I will take my students to the computer lab and go through some basics and I will have this recorded through Jing. This will help my students learn the basics. I'm sure I can use it for many more things, but that is just the first thing I want to try.
Converting Files--our school blocks a lot of websites. I was told that we would be able to use YouTube if we conferted it to a certain file and bring it to school on a USB port and try it. I have not done this, but I am really interested in trying this out. I understand a lot of our web restrictions, but there are some AMAZING teaching tools out there that I need to be able to use. So this one I am definately going to dabble in :0)
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