The YETC

I think that the YETC is an amazing place! Nathan has put so much effort into the resources available. There is almost more information than one person can handle. I think that it will be a very helpful resource for me as a student and teacher, especially as I continue on to Level III. I am excited to look into all the wonderful lesson plans, curriculum resources, and multimedia resources. I am certain that I will be spending a large amount of time in the YETC before and after graduation. My cooperating practicum teacher this semester even mentioned the YETC several times in our discussions. As an alumni, she still looks here for resources and information. What a wonderful opportunity that we have to use the lab to better our education, and the education of others!

Thank you Kurt for the wonderful class this semester. I have gained so much knowledge about technology and how it can enhance my instruction and my students' experiences during my teaching career. Best of Luck!

--Lindsay

Spreadsheets & Databases

If I had to pick one software program I use more than any other, I would (without question) choose Excel. I have been utilizing the amazing capabilities of Excel and Access programs since my days in High School. I use them at school, home, and definitely, at work! I keep track of personal finances, daily schedules and appointments, and grocery lists at home. And most semesters, I track my grades on a spreadsheet I have developed. Spreadsheets and databases really cater to my need for organization and simplicity! I have used databases mostly for contact lists and mailing mergers. At work, they are the ultimate source for unlimited information! Although I have alot of experience with both programs, I learned several new tricks during the class discussion on Monday. Mostly, I enjoyed the ideas for the classroom. I have noticed that several of my practicum teachers use Excel for management purposes in the classroom. But, the techniques taught in class went beyond management, and I really liked that. I think that both software programs are excellent ways to cut preparation time and make life so much easier in the long run! I am excited to use them in my own personal classroom. They will be excellent resources. It's great to have this type of knowledge as an educator. The more that we utilize the technology we have, the more possibilities we unravel.

Web Site Evaluation

I really liked the form developed by Kathy Schrock. It was simple to use, but helped to capitalize on the most important parts of a website and grasp a basic knowledge how valid and trustworthy the website may be. The other forms were a little more in depth, but still good. I would use the form I used if I were doing a quick evaluation, if I wanted to be absolutely positive then I would probably use a different form. I did not find any websites that had secrets spots. They were mostly reliable resources, usually enforced by a school district or school organization. The only one that was questionable at first glance was an interactive Math Facts web page, but in the end it seemed very reliable and useful. I value the evaluation process because of the safety factor. If you, as a teacher, are going to suggest and recommend websites to parents, students, and educators, you definitely want the website to represent and portray a message that you yourself are willing to support and endorse. You want your students, parents, and co-workers to be safe on the Internet. We hear so much about the "hidden" stuff on the Internet, and you definitely don't want to be recommending sites that put other individuals in harm's way. Thus, as an educator you should be constantly evaluating your resources. The evaluation forms provide a guide and support to help you better understand which those websites that you want to recommend and those that you don't. I probably would not use a formal evaluation if the website was a well-known trusted website, such as UEN.

Webquests

I was impressed by the mass amount of information students can learn from Webquests. I have had first hand experience with Webquests from my practicum experience. My teacher used them usually for social studies with her sixth graders. However, I did not think that they were very effective with her students. They usually just followed the links, and filled out the worksheet that she gave them. I realize now that her Webquest set-up wasn't exactly correct, and if she were to modify it to more fully encompass the concepts that we learned in class today, her lessons would be more educational and her students would learn so much more. I thought that the Webquests would be great for visual learners who like to be active. They are also a great way for students to learn critical thinking skills and work in a group. I would probably use these in my classroom. They seem like a great way to combine a lot of information into one activity that could take one day, or several days depending on how much you would want your students to learn. There are so many activities that can branch out from a Webquest as well. For me, it is a great starting point for a unit.

Music in Education

I absolutely love music! If you have seen me walking down the street without my iPod headphones in my ear, you have witnessed a miraculous occurence. Although I will most likely experience hearing loss as I get older, I would not be the same without it. Music for me is something that I depend on for lots of things. I think that it is a huge contribution in any classroom. I loved the ideas that were present in class today. The resources are outstanding, and the knowledge that I have gained will help me so much more in my own classroom. I really liked the idea of using music for transitions. Using them as a "conditioning" tool, when specific music plays the kids know what to do, was a great "real-life" experience that I enjoyed. It will help make those subject that are sometimes unbearable a little bit more enjoyable. I hope that I will be able to use music to enhance my classroom and my students' learning experiences. I am excited to get started downloading lots and lots of music :)

Once Upon A Time

Once Upon A Time

By: Lindsay Cook

Once upon a time there was a very fat cat.

There was also a very mean black bat.

One day, the very mean black bat was bored and decided that he would pick on the cat because he was so fat. So the bat grabbed pebbles from the ground, flew high above the cat, and dropped them on the fat cat’s head.

Then the very fat cat was very sad and decided he would get revenge. What the mean black bat didn’t know was that the fat cat had other bat friends.

Then, in the middle of the day, the cat found its bat friends and devised a plan with them to get back at the mean black bat. The bats were just fine with this idea because the mean bat was mean to them to. They decided that they would get back that very evening.

The bats headed out in their Batmobile for the mean bat’s cave. They were angry and wanted revenge. They filled 75 water balloons with shaving cream and decided to throw them at the bat’s cave. However, when they got there, they smelled the sweet smell of chocolate mice pie, baked fresh from the oven. They would rather eat this pie than anything else in the world! They threw the shaving cream balloons off the cliff and went to knock on the mean bat’s door.

Then, the bat came out of his house with a cooking apron on. He started to speak but got hit right in the face with a shaving cream balloon that the fat cat threw. The bat wiped his face off and then cried. The cat felt bad that he had wanted to get revenge so he comforted the bat. Then the bat invited the cat into his house for some chocolate cake. They have been friends ever since.

The moral of this story is that revengeful acts always end in eating chocolate cake with your best friends.

Visual Learners

Although I missed this morning's class, due to a faulty alarm, after reviewing the class Wiki, I found the resources extremely insightful. Project Zero was quite fascinating. I especially liked the researching being done on Artful Learning. I personally love art, and anyway to bring that into my classroom as a learning resource is definitely on my top list. The Thesaurus was also great! I am constantly using one to make my papers better, and this one is so much more advanced, with a huge amount of information that will help me, as a teacher, to increase my vocabulary and writing abilities. There's nothing more boring than a teacher who uses the same "stuff" over and over again. Or who errs constantly in letter to take home to parents or to the administration. Variety in the classroom is so important. I have been introduced to Howard Gardner's learning styles theory through several of my classes this Spring. I find the theory to be true in my life. It seems that no matter the type of visual presented, I also take more from a lecture if I can have a concrete example to make a mental picture of. It helps my recall of information all the better. This will help me so much in my classroom, if I am aware that my students do not learn everything by simple lecture or direct instruction. This is another way to make learning more meaningful for students, and we've been saying all year that meaningful learning is the best way to make kids really "learn", and love to learn, in the classroom.

Digital Photography

I think that the Digital Photography lesson was very insightful and practical. I feel that every teacher SHOULD be given a digital camera. So many lessons could utilize this type of technology. I loved learning about iPhoto. It is a great program for organizing your photos. That will help me in personal life, as well as in my classroom. The Geometry Book was a terrific way to bring geometry to life for students. Some times I forget that the subject we spend so much time learning about inside, actually happen outside. Being able to make information and lessons meaningful to the students will help them to really learn the material, as well as make it applicable to their everyday life! I would like to utilitze digital photography for art and english lesson, as well as math. I think that it is a great way to integrate subjects! All together, I think it it will be a huge assest to any classroom.

Copyright Law (cont.)

By the way, the layout for my blog is under Creative Commons, which until today, I had no idea what that meant.

Copyright Law

I thought that our discussion about Copyright Law was very informative. I learned a lot of new things pertaining to legally using multimedia in the classroom. I did not realize how important and strict the law can be. I am glad that there are exceptions for using the information in the classroom, because it would make the technology and masses of information we have available at our fingertips difficult to utilize if not.

Instructional Architect

I really enjoyed the discussion on IA. I think that it is going to be a very useful tool in creating lessons for my students, as well as find reliable and useful resources. It is also a great way to keep lessons organized. I am excited to use it to create some fun and exciting lessons!

New Podcasts

I have subscribed to two new educational podcasts:

1. Ecogeeks: Science Video
2. Music K-8 Music Sampler

Lesson Plan I

I chose the following Lesson Plan for this week's assignment:

1. Grade: 6
2. Subject: Mathematics
3. Title: Math 6--Act. 02: Investing Money
4. Link: http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview?LPid=5445

Blog Subscriptions

1. The Ed Techie (http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/)
2. The Blog of Proximal Development (http://www.teachandlearn.ca/blog/)
3. Betcha Blog (http://betch.edublogs.org/)

Podcast Subscriptions

Today I subscribed to three new podcasts:

1. APM: A Prairie Home Companion
2. Radio Disney Now!
3. National Geographic Video Shorts

--Lindsay

New Blog

WELCOME TO MY NEW BLOG!