Week 8-the final post.

For this final week of 8 we focused on dangerous viruses, Trojans and hackers on the internet, as well as internet etiquette. Computer viruses are not something that I have had a lot of problem with in my personal life, mainly because I have always had a good self-updating protection plan installed on my computers. On my laptop I currently have Kapersky Anti-Virus installed, and I have been really please with it . I did have one run in with a virus that was accessed via an email link. I think that is one of the most frustrating things that people who create viruses do. People today so easily trust links and information they receive in their email inbox and do not shy from clicking on a link, even if they do not know what it is about. I clicked on one link a few years ago, which luckily was caught by my anti-virus program before any real damage could be done.

As far as in the classroom where I work, we do not have computers in the classroom, except for the teacher's computer. We do have access to a computer lab. In order to use any of the computers in the building, you have to be able to log onto the network, which is only available to staff and students. As protection, students can only access certain programs and websites while on the computer. These websites have to be approved by our school librarian who is in charge of our technology protection plans. We also have an excellent IT staff on campus that is readily available to help with any internet virus scares and update any programs necessary. I feel like our school is doing a great job of protecting our computers and networks from any malicious software but I would be interested to see how other schools go about protecting themselves.

As far as internet etiquette goes, I feel like this is something that definitely needs to be addressed in the classroom. Students need to understand the need for responsibility while on the internet, as well as how easily information can be accessed. I think students need to be taught how they must be responsible for what things they post on the internet, as well as what they access. Students should be informed of viruses, Trojans, and possible hacking situations to better prepare themselves.

week 7

I really can't believe that we are in week 7! Before this term started I was super overwhelmed by this course, and now that we are reaching the end of it, I feel like I am in a real pattern and have learned so much from this course that I want to use in my own classroom one day! This week we focused on Software programs and Web 2.0 applications. I really enjoyed the reading about Video Games and Simulations in the classroom. I grew up playing the Sims at home all the time, and had never really thought about how a game like that could be utilized in the classroom.
I do remember in one of my high school classes that we did a simulation where we were assigned a character from a different country, economic class, and time period than us. From there we had to complete certain tasks for survival, and if you failed your charater did too. After the simulation was over we all created a presentation about the background of our given characters and the struggles we faced.
While looking at Web 2.0 applications for the classroom I stumbled upon Kerpoof, which is owned by Disney. Kerpoof uses a creation studio to allow students to create artwork, movies, cards, and stories. There are lesson plans featured on the site and it's free for educators to use! To try it out I used two different aspects of Kerpoof with my reading group of 1st graders. On the Kerpoof studio, you can "Spell a picture". On this activity students pick a background and then can select letters to begin spelling a word. As they are spelling the word, images pop up of what they might be spelling, and once they have completely spelled the word, an image of what they spelled pops up and can be added to the picture.
Once the image is added to the picture, the user can hold their mouse over the image to see the spelling again.

I also used one of the free lesson plans on Kerpoof. The lesson plan I used was about Recycling and taught kids "RRR" --Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Since I was working with first graders I did not have them necessarily use the words from the lesson, but instead had them create a picture of things they like to do outside, that if people do not recycle would be ruined. 

Overall I love the Kerpoof Design studio and all the options of creativity it provides. I really hope to keep using it in the future! My students responded positively to the program and want to use it again. I'm looking into ways I can use the program in other areas, especially Math, to use creativity and visuals to teach students.

TECH EXPLORATIONS

19. delicious.com

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Delicicious is an online website or an application where users can store and organize the links they access. I looked at the online site. Users can download a bookmarklet that allows you to quickly add a link to your list. You can also link Delicious to your address book or social media networks and view what links your friends have added. Delicious also can create a newsfeed based on your interests to get ideas from.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I think Delicious could be used by teachers to store ideas for lesson plans, classroom management, etc. in one accessible place. Students could use Delicious for research projects to save all the links they find with useful information in one place.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I really had neutral feelings towards Delicious. It seems a lot like Pinterest to me, but without the distractions of all the different things you can find on Pinterest. I guess for educators that use their favorites bar on Internet Explorer this would be a good alternative. I do like the idea of students using it while they research or plan for projects though.

  

19. HistoryPin

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	HistoryPin allows for users internationally to pin pictures and images to a certain place on a map. From there, users can view pictures of a certain place in different time periods. Stories and captions can also be posted with the image. The goal of HistoryPin is to create a multiuser digital history of our world.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Students could research a specific place anywhere in the world and use HistoryPin to find images from a timeline to use in their report. Also Social Studies teachers could introduce a new place each week and use HistoryPin to compare how things used to look to how they look now.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I think HistoryPin is a neat idea but I’m not sure how much you would use it exactly. I think it you were strictly a social studies teacher it would a good resource to use in the classroom, as mentioned above.

19. Diigo

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Diigo is like a bookmark manager that uses highlighters and sticky notes to point out valuable information found by the user. Diigo is a Cloud based program that can be accessed from all major web browsers, as well as from mobile devices and tablets. All the information collected is stored on the Cloud in MyLibrary and can be accessed from anywhere. Diigo installs an add on to browsers with a toolbar. Resources can be saved as a snapshot too. Diigo now allows collaborative work as well.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	Diigo would be great for students to use while researching for a paper. They could gather resources and highlight the information they want to use in their paper, as well as save the link with a label such as “introduction” or “point 1” to make it easy to place information into their paper organization. From there, the students could even share the information found with their teacher to make sure they are on the right track. The teacher can make notes and highlight news things on the documents.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I think I would recommend this resource, especially to middle and high school teachers. It is a great resource to teach students how to organize their information and it makes it easy for them to include all the information they find on a topic. It seems easy to use, and I like that it can be accessed from anywhere and is linked to the Cloud, so you don’t have to be on the original computer.

19. Math Calculators

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	Two calculators looked at during this TE were the PBS talking Calculator and the Big Simple Talking Calculators. Both of these programs are talking calculators that tell you the number you have selected as well as the function. The main difference between the two is the PBS calculator covers the basic math functions and is suitable for young students, while the Big Simple Talking calculator has more advanced functions. The Big Simple calculator can also turn off the voice or translate into different languages.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	I feel like either one of these would be great to use in a school setting,especially with elementary school students. Teachers could use the talking calculator to teach early elementary students how to use a calculator in conjunction with addition/subtraction sentences, and as they get older the calculators could be used to teach new math techniques.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend these calculators because they are easy to use, and would be easy for students to use as well. They are free to use as well.

20. Math Wiki

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	This Wiki page explains to users how utilizing writing in math can help with student retention of the math concepts they are taught in the classroom. Writing in math can help students learn how to clarify, organize, and reflect on their ideas in math. The wiki provides links and other information for teachers including objectives and academic standards. The Wiki suggests five types of writing to be used in the classroom: math journals, showing work to solve math problems, explaining math ideas, general math writing, and creative writing.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This could be used as a resource to teachers who are wanting to expand the skills and retention in their math classes and need ideas how to do so. The Wiki also provides useful information on using writing in other areas, something all teachers can benefit from.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend this resource, especially to first year teachers or those who are working with lower level math groups. I really liked the examples of student work provided.

20. PicLits

1.	Describe what you learned from exploring this resource.  Be thorough in your response.
	PicLit is an online site that uses stock images to promote creative writing skills. Users can pick an image and then select words that will go with the image. There is a gallery of other users’ PicLits, a place to view the PicLits you create, and a LearnIt tab that has further activities to use creative writing skills. Under the LearnIt tab users are challenged to write longer pieces or work with rhyming words. There are also lesson plans available to use.
2.	How could you use this resource in a school setting?  It does not matter if it is in your field or level, you need to understand how the resource might be used in educational settings.
	This could easily be used in a writing class or more specifically high school aged creative writing class to challenge students to use images to enhance their writing. PicLits keeps students entertained and allows them to choose what they create.
3.	Would you recommend this resource to other educators? Like/Dislike; Ease of use, fee or not, and so forth.  Why or Why not?
	I would recommend PicLit to other educators because it is free, easy to use, and is something that most students will not have used before. It easily inspires students to use their creativity and share it with their peers.

Week Six.

This week we explored and created Webquests. I actually remember one of my middle school teachers using Webquests in the classroom when we were doing a social studies assignment. The Webquest covered the history of the Egyptians and had us visit various websites and complete different assignments. When researching webquests this week I found two that were interesting to me. One was a biography project on Marc Brown, the author of the Arthur series, and the other webquest went along with one of the Magic School Bus books, Under the Sea.
The biography of Marc Brown had students research his history as well as look into how he got his start in writing. Not only did students learn about Marc Brown, but they were challenged to use their own creative writing skills. The Magic School Bus Webquest went along with the book Under the Sea, and had students not only read the book but utilize various websites to learn more about oceans and ocean creatures.
From both of these webquests it was interesting to see how they used literature in combination with the internet to challenge students to seek more information. In this digital based world we live in , Webquests are a great way to teach students, particularly young students, how to use the internet in a responsible and beneficial way.

http://questgarden.com/165/29/4/131129205043/
For my individual webquest, I had students learn more about Dr. Seuss while also using their critical thinking skills and creativity. After completing the webquest my "class" would be reading the book "Who is Dr. Seuss?", so the WebQuest was utilized to give them background information on Dr. Seuss before they read the book. My hope was that the Webquest would help with comprehension of the actual book being read in the class.
My WebQuest focused not only on the historical background of Dr. Seuss but challenged the students to use their critical thinking skills and creativity skills. I will say I felt like WebQuests are pretty time consuming but is a great resource in the classroom if they are used in the right way.