EDCT203: Week 4

This week in class, we learned how to make WebQuests. I had never created one before. It is a lengthier process than some of the other projects we've done this quarter, but it is worth it in the end. We created ours on QuestGarden, but that's not the only place wehre you can make them.

I think that this is a great activity to create for all grade levels. I like how you can customize it based on what you would like for your children to know. I also like that it encourages CRITICAL THINKING!!! It also provides an opportunity for teamwork. It would also be a great project to do with a TAG class.

In other news, my group has officially completed both of our presentations! It's such a relief to know that I won't have to worry about it at the end of the quarter when I'm trying to plan my teaching day.

Some ISTE Student standards from this week are:

• 1b, 1c
• 2b, 2d
• 3(all)
• 4(all)
• 5(all)
• 6a

Some ISTE Teacher standards used this week are:

• 1a, 1b
• 2a, 2c
• 3a, 3d
• 4(all)
• 5d

EDCT203: Week 3

This week in class, we created movies and slideshows through Picasa, specifically movies about diversity. We had to find pictures online and edit them using either Picasa's tools or the ones from Picnik (speaking of Picnik, it's shutting down in April. Waah. I love that site). You can find my movie HERE if it's something you're interested in seeing. We also worked on writing evaluations for websites.

I think that both of these things would be useful in a classroom. Making a Picasa presentation would be a fun and easy way to show parents pictures of what you've been working on. Like, you could take pictures of the children working on a project, or even scan pictures of the final result. Then you could put together a little show to let the parents see what their kiddos did. It could be uploaded to the class website that I mentioned in the week one entry. The website evaluations would beextremely useful, because obviously you want to make sure that a website is appropriate for your age group before letting the children use it. You can also evaluate a website to see whether it is legit before using it as a source for a paper or something like that.

Some ISTE Student standards used this week are:

• 1a, 1b
• 2(all; especially 2c)
• 3b
• 4d
• 5(all)
• 6a, 6b, 6d

Some ISTE Teacher standards used this week are;

• 1a, 1b
• 2a, 2b, 2c
• 3a, 3c
• 4(all)
• 5(all)

EDCT 203: Week 2

This week in class we worked on PowerPoints. I already knew how to create a basic slide show (I think most people do) but in class we used PP to make educational games and interactive lessons for kids. We used hyperlinks to create multiple choice questions, animation and pictures to make it fun, etc. They actually turned out pretty cute!

I can definitely see myself using this in a classroom someday. I think that it would be more fun and engaging for the kids than just staring at a boring textbook. Since most classrooms have Smartboards now, you could even pull the game up on one so that several children could play at once. Older kids could use games like this to review or practice for a test.

Some student standards used this week were:

• 1a, 1b, 1c- yay for new ideas! :)
• 2b
• 4d
• 5(all)- always important!
• 6a, 6b

Some teacher standards used this week were:

• 1a
• 2(all)
• 3a, 3c
• 4(all)
• 5d

Well, that's it for this week. Thanks for reading!

one of my favorite quotes

"Faith is taking the first steps, even if you can't see the whole staircase" -MLK Jr.

EDCT203: Week 1

Greetings! I hope the New Year has found you all happy, healthy and loving life.
The new year has brought a new quarter at school, and new group of classes. I'm still teaching all day Tuesdays and Thursdays at a local elementary. I was so glad to be back, I missed my kiddos soooo much!

I'm also taking an educational technology class. A class that requires a weekly blog entry. Lucky for me, I already had a blog set up. So for the next ten weeks, I'll be posting some class related things on here. Sorry in advance if my ramblings bore you!!

This week in class, we learned how to set up wiki pages. I use Wikipedia all the time but this was the first time I actually sat and created a page. We also learned about setting up pages through Google. I like that we were offered many templates to choose from there. I found a cute teacher-ish one. However, I wish I had thought about it before clicking on the cute teacher-ish one, because that sucker is really hard to navigate! But it's cute. And it has a place for me to put up a student of the month, so it's cool.

I can totally see myself using these pages as a teacher in the future. I think it would be a great way to keep parents up-to-date on what's happening in class. There's even a section where you can post homework assignments for the whole week. It can also be a way for parents to contact either me or each other.

Some of the ISTE Standards for Students that were used this week are:

• 1d because our work on the Wiki pages are a way that we can express ourselves either alone or as a group
• 2a and 2d because we collaborate and work together to keep our page updated and running. All of our ideas come together for the final product
• 5 (all) because responsible and ethical behavior and actions are expected when using the group page
• 6a because the wiki page is a technology application, and we learned multiple ways to utilize it.

Some of the ISTE Standards for Teachers that were used this week are:

• 3a and 3b because we can share what we learned tonight with our students and create wiki pages for our class with them. I was also thinking that a class wiki would be a good way to keep parents updated, and a way for them to communicate with the teacher.
• 4a, for the same reasons stated for Student standard 5, above.
• 5d, I think that using technology will make a school much more effective.

Well, that's it for Week One. Stay tuned for more!

2011 in Pictures

Happy New Year!

Fa-La-La Favorites!

Wow! I can't believe that it is almost Christmas! Where has December gone?

Remember the Photo Trash Cans that I posted about last time? They were a hit. A huge hit. My friends loved them. Now I'm excited to do more things like that (tabletop? memory box? shelf?).

I decided that for this Fa La-La Friday post, I would share some of my holiday favorites with you (including a recipe and a craft idea... keep reading!). This is what my family likes to do each and every year. What are some of your favorites?

Favorite Cookie
Peanut Butter Kisses- these couldn't be easier. Start out by making some peanut butter cookies. You can use the store bought roll of dough or make your own family recipe. Up to you. Then while they're in the oven, start unwrapping Hershey Kiss candies. You won't have time to unwrap later, so do it now! Once the cookies come out of the oven, imediately (as in, before they even come off of the baking sheet) pop a Kiss onto each cookie. Let cool as usual. Enjoy!

Favorite Movie
There are a lot of good holiday movies out there. But my all time favorite is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love the Christmas Spirit that just oozes from every second of the movie. I love the fuzzy green guy. But most of all, I love the message. "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more".

Favorite Song
The Christmas Shoes, by Newsong. Mostly because it is just a beautiful (and tearjerking) song. But also because when I was younger (10-12ish), my three best friends and our mamas went to like 3 (maybe more) Newsong concerts. They played this song at every one. Even the one that was in the middle of July. Those concerts gave us girls some amazing memories. Here's a link if you haven't heard it. Warning: Have a tissue!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a_Y1wAJ2MU

Favorite Decoration
Our tree. It's a special tree. My grandma bought it and had it for several years before giving it to us. It was at our old house and we still have it at our current house. It's not like other trees. It's fuller than most trees you see these days. Like really, really, really, really full. It's the fattest, fullest tree I've ever seen. And I love it. It has plenty of room for all of our ornaments. They're all pretty special, themeselves. I love getting the boxes out each year and looking at the ornaments again and remembering all of the special memories that each one has. My mom's favorite is the handprint reindeer that I made in preschool. Wanna make one with your kids? It's simple! Just paint their hand brown and have them make a handprint on paper. Add googly eyes and a construction paper nose. The fingers are the antlers. Make sure to date it! We also have a ton of Hallmark ornaments. My grandma buys each of us a new one every year. Last year, she got me a kitty cat themed one since it was Bella's first Christmas. I love it! But not nearly as much as I love our special, special tree.

Well, friends, that's all for now. I hope that you have a great CHRISTmas weekend!