Tuesday, October 9, 2012
PLN
Have you found one interesting article about Educational Technology using your PLN this semester? Add a link to it below and include a brief summary of the article as well as where you found it. Feel free to add comments about how you enjoyed using a PLN and if you will continue to grow it after this course is over. Read at least one other student's response to this question and their article. Reply to their response with your own comments about the article.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
There are many interesting articles about education and technology on Pinterest. Here is one I found to be especially interesting:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction
This article talked about the importance of using technology in the classrooms. I realize that is what we have been talking about all semester long, however the authour brought up new and very surprising accurate points that we have not discussed. For example, the staff of Edutopia mentioned, the use of technology is important for education because this is the future of the real world. If we do not teach our children how to effectively use technology, they will not be prepared for the world of modern business. We can show our students how to effectively use technology by incorporating it into the lesson plans. The article mentions how to effectively do this so it is not overwhelming and is deeply involved and connected to the school cirriculumn.
I never really used PLNs before, but after completing this exercise, I realize how helpful it can be for teachers. There are thousands of free lesson plans, tips and advice for teachers to use in their classrooms on Pinterest. I was really impressed and did not expect this, however I can definitely see myself using PLNs like Pinterest as a teaching resource.
Sabrina,
DeleteEverything about your article talking about how to teach our children to effectively use technology or else they won't be prepared for the world of modern business is a lot that I learned from my article. I never really realized how much we do need to teach our students about technology, mostly because not every school or student is privileged enough to use all of this technology. It will be difficult to teach students in an inner city school how to use all this technology when the school is unable to provide it for them.
Teachers are responsible for a lot of material and now we must take on the role of teaching technology as well. Many students who come into classrooms are familiar with multiple types of technology from home: computers, televisions, iPods, iPads, etc. The world is constantly changing and evolving around the use of technology. The kids often know more than the teachers do about what you can do on an iPad or a computer. It is important as teachers to be as up to date as possible. Using the PLNs will give us the opportunity to incorporate the use of technology in every lesson. I used Pinterest for mine and can see that there are endless sources of information to take advantage of.
DeleteWhat I chose for my personal learning network was pintrest. I used pintrest for things that I am interested in but it is also good for finding out other things like the usage of technology in the classroom. Below I have a youtube video that I found on pintrest about the usage of twitter and instant messaging in the classroom.
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/pin/279856564315751350/
This video is about a school that is using twitter and instant messaging as a way for students to communicate in school and out of school. The teacher that they interviewed talked about engaging the students in class with websites and applications they use on a daily bases. She said "if you don't engage them in something that they like you might as well be talking to a brick wall". I believe that utilizing applications like that in school will help students focus more and absorb more material in the classroom.
I just watched and read Sabrina's PLN about using all types of technology to find out different things. I especially liked the first experiment they mentioned about the cheerleaders stats about their heart rates and having the algebra 2 class figure out what level their heart rates should be beating in order to be concidered healthy. This is a perfect way to show how using technology in the classroom can help student figure out real life situations.
Jamie,
DeleteI agree with you, and what your article is saying. These past few weeks we have talked about how we as educators need to stsay on top of the newest technology to keeo the students interested. I myself didn't understand how the use of facebook and twitter had anything to do with teaching, however, now that I have read your article about twitter and mine about the use of facebook, I have a better understanding. If we use things like both of the social networks i just mentioned, the students are more liokely to be engaged in learning and actually want to do the assignments. If they are engaged, they are more likely to get more out of the assignment or lesson. These are both used more like a blog also.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/online-storytime-books-toys/379003588
ReplyDeleteEven though this link does not bring you to an article, it does bring you to an online story time link. It was found on pinterest, but the link is with Barnes and Noble. This is such a great idea for children because they may not be able to read yet, so they will be able to listen along the way while still viewing the pictures. What I like most is that the authors of the books read them aloud. In this example, the book, The Kissing Hand, is read aloud by the author, Audrey Penn. When children see that it is read aloud by the author, they may feel a connection and almost a privilege that they get to listen to someone who is famous for their work.
I could say that I've never used a PLN before, but since deciding on becoming a teacher for my profession, I have looked on pinterest under the education tab for cute ideas to bring into my classroom or to build off of for lessons. It's a great way to get new ideas!
I watched the video that Jaime posted. I have seen many clips on the news and on websites for a while now and was skeptical about it. I still am because twitter involves social media. I know from personal experience that if social media is in front of me, I am immediately distracted. Technology is a wonderful tool for teaching, however, when social media is introduced in the classroom, I feel it may be a problem for others as well because it is so closely tied to getting off track. There is a difference between using a search engine or Microsoft Word for school work, and a social media website.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThrough the use of my Personal Learning Network, Pinterest, I have discovered many valuable technological resources that can be utilized to enrich the learning environment in a classroom. One such resource is YouTube For School, which has been developed through the collaborative efforts of YouTube Project Managers and education professionals. This branch of YouTube allows videos, provided by the leading education innovators, to be integrated into the classroom without the distractions of mainstream YouTube, such as advertisements and related videos. Due to these efforts to enrich the educational experience for students, videos from over 600 partners, including TED, Steve Spangler Science, Smithsonian and more, can be accessed through a teacher’s Google account. This will further allow technology to link the global educational network. Resources, such as this one, are valuable to including in student’s learning experience; therefore, I will be continuing my Pinterest in order to further my knowledge regarding available technology for teachers.
ReplyDeleteTo learn more visit: http://socialtimes.com/youtube-for-schools_b86342
While exploring other classmates’ responses to this blog topic I found Sabrina’s Santos’s edutopia link as a well-developed resource to conclude this course. It gives an overview of the values of integrating technology into the classroom and summarizes the main points regarding technology and education that we have been covering these past eight weeks. Education is a profession that allows for a fair amount of autonomy. We, as pre-service educators, must become aware of the ever-changing educational field in order to fully take advantage of this freedom for flexibility.
I enjoyed reading Jennifer's article that she found about using youtube as a valuable resource for educators. I didn't know that youtube had developed "youtube for schools", and I think that it is a really great idea. I know that there is teachertube, but it seems less accessible from the times that I have tried to navigate it, and children use youtube everyday, so it is a great idea to develop a new part of youtube that will be available in classrooms. I think that it is great that they took away the comments and the related videos sections because it could really be a distraction for kids when watching a video, and it could lead to some inappropriate material. By getting rid of these sections, kids are able to focus on the material presented in the video. I also found it fascinating that there are over 400,000 of these educational videos available to teachers and students on "youtube for school". Kids now have so much material at their fingertips as reliable and fun ways to learn about so many different topics.
DeleteThe article I chose was about the use of facebook in the class. I found the article on pinterest on a website called "Educational Technonly and mobile learning". The article can be found using this link; http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/06/ultimate-guide-to-use-of-facebook-in.html
ReplyDeleteThe article discusses how the use of facebook can be used for educational purposes. Within the article, there are advatages to using facebook, facebook tips for teachers and so on. The teacher is using facebook as a blog basically. They also mention how students use facebook and they will use facebook if we have a site for them to use.
Lets face it, most children are on facebook now adays. If you ask them to go on facebook for an assignment or to check for any updates in the class and whatnot, they are very likely to actually do it.
I definitely agree with your idea that many kids are on Facebook these days and if you asked them to use it to check something out for class, that they probably would be likely to do it while they're on facebook. A lot of kids keep facebook up as they're doing homework, so I think it would be effective. Like the article says, "Facebook has become part and parcel of their everyday life." So, since most kids use it everyday, they are more familiar with it than other sites and will be more willing to use it. They should have more ease navigating it. I like the tips that the article included to help teachers incorporate facebook into class. It brings in a new perspective into learning, and could definitely positively impact education.
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIHUhvE_Y2A
ReplyDeleteThe article I chose was found on Pinterest. The article's main focus was the video that is linked above. The video demonstrates all the wonderful things technology in the classroom can do. The video includes a teacher giving a lesson using SmartBoard technology and students getting involved in the lesson and being engaged. The video is a great piece that conveys the message that with the growing technology we need to teach our students the skills necessary at a young age so that they will be prepared for the future.
I really enjoyed this particular video because I didn't realize all the tasks Smartboard technology can execute or that a teacher can just link homework straight to the children's computers.
samantha,
DeleteI totally agree with you. Like we have been learning in our EDT class, Education and Technology really fall hand and hand. Smartboards are a great thing to get the students involved with their lesson and engage in it. I personaly agree with you on how important it is to incorporate technology because technology is rapidly increasing in this world and students are more interested using technology rather than sit in a classroom and watch a teacher write notes on the board.
I used Pinterest as my Personal Learning Network.
ReplyDeletehttp://thomasmarshalldoesitall.blogspot.com/2011/09/ipad-apps-for-blindvisually-impaired.html
I found a blog that a mother had put up about her child. Tommy is a three year old little boy who is blind. This article shares information about iPad apps for blind and visually impared children. I was confused at first because I didn't know how he would be able to see the iPad or be able to use the apps. Through more reading, I found that the list of apps included ones that used audio so the child could learn. One app, for example, performed the sound of an animal and then said its name. The child could learn all about animals without having to see. This type of technology on an iPad is incredible. It helps visually impared children use motor skills and learn at the same time. This is helpful as a future teacher because it shows that you don't have to be completely able-bodied to use technology. This opened my eyes to a whole new world of educational opportunities.
That is really cool how technology has advanced to the point where we can learning technology right into the palms of our hands. I think it's great that blind children can use eye pads for other features other then sight. You would think you need sight to use an iPad but this is proof of the other uses the iPad can achieve. I'm interested to see what else besides a tablet will be coming out that will take blind childrens learning even farther with technology!
DeleteI used twitter as my PLN
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2011/11/technology-adds-spark-to-science-education/
I found this article/video that discusses how technology can bridge learning at school and home. Technology allows a lesson to be persolanlized for each student. Technology allows the student to be in control of their learning. They can rewind a video if they need the information to be repeated, or they can pause a video. This particular video shows how math and science can be taught using technology. It relates concepts to students. For example, one experiment studied the effect of cell phone radiation. This interested the students because it is something they know about and something they relate to. Another part of this video showed how students can use virtual reality games to learn concepts such as astronomy. This article/video is helpful for a teacher to view because it shows even more of the possibilities of using technology with education.
Allison,
DeleteI thought that this article/video was great! I enjoyed being able to read as well as watch a video. The possibilities that those students had seemed to be endless. Learning more about cyberlearning was very insightful, the video helped me see using a real classroom. The students are able to do so much with technology, and what is great is that a student does not understand something, they can go back and relearn the topic or example. It was also great to see how the students learned so much from the game. Many students believed that the technology helped them learn in a positive way, and they all felt like they were almost pro's as it. Overall the video/article really shed light on the topic of cyberlearning.
I found using the PLN interesting this semester. I used twitter for my PLN resources and followed some interesting people in regards to education technology in the classroom. While following Edutopia I saw a bunch of interesting topics come up. Edutopia in one article on Oct 10 https://twitter.com/edutopia asks the question should we assign homework in school? I found this interesting because I really thought about the affect homework has on me in school. I don't feel like I learn anything from homework. Homework serves myself as just a task to get done to get credit from the teacher. When I submit or hand in homework I know what I have done or did already, so I feel that having to do homework is not necessary since I already absorbed what was needed to be learned in the class. Some people might benefit better then others from homework however.
ReplyDeleteOver the course of this class I found using a PLN interesting. It is a new way to get information about related fields you're interested in and I will continue to use it and possibly add more resources to it after this course has finished.
http://www.edutopia.org/poll-teachers-assign-summer-homework - Link to topic
DeleteI liked creating a PLN. I used twitter to create my PLN which I found helpful because I go on twitter constantly and the people within my PLN are constantly tweeting about different blogs or discussions. There was plenty of blogs and information that they were all tweeting and it was a constant thing. I would recommend using twitter because it is so frequent and easy to update and within your PLN you could have 10 posts within an hours’ time which gives 10 different things for you to look over that could help you. The article I chose was from a post from Scholastic. It actually talks about using Pinterest to organize your classroom. Pinterest was actually a possible resource we could use to create our PLN, so when I came across this article I figured I would look over it to see what I could use Pinterest for besides creating a PLN. The article talks about a new school year and how teachers have to stay organized. The article goes into different ways that teachers can use Pinterest to stay organized and to even allow parents to use Pinterest to stay connected to what is going on in the classroom. One thing I liked about that was linking different books students can read and allowing them to choose from a long list that is available on this website. Not only can students look but parents can as well which really connects home life with school life. There was also an idea of pinning your favorite websites or blogs to your Pinterest site. This does keep everything more organized because you can just log in, click, and you are there as opposed to going through bookmarks like they said. I really found this article interesting, especially because I never really knew what I could use Pinterest for. Now I know I might actually use it when I become a teacher to stay organized.
ReplyDeletehttp://oomscholasticblog.com/2012/10/weekly-pinspiration-use-pinterest-to-get-organized.html
Megan, the article you posted was really great. I think Pinterest is a great tool for organizing and I agree I probably will use it in the future. The example given in the article of having a board dedicated to all the books used in a classroom (Like a library) I think is an awesome idea and would be very useful for parents and students alike. I think teachers that are organized are better teachers. If you are not organized you may take a longer time to do your work, teach lessons and gather your thoughts. Overall the article you added was great and makes Pinterest seem like such a great option for staying organized and learning how to organize.
DeleteI really like this article, Meagan. I actually used pinterest for my PLN and it took me a while to figure out how to use it. I wish I would have saw this article when I began doing my PLN. It did a great job of explaining what the site can be usedful for and who uses it. I think it is good for libraries and teachers to use this site to inform children and their parents about what's available to them and it provides many creative ways for teachers to make learning more fun and engaging through pins of other teachers on hands-on activities and lessons that incoporate technology.
Deletehttp://www.teachervision.fen.com/educational-technology/teaching-methods/71463.html?page=1
ReplyDeleteI found the above article on Pinterest during the run of this course. The article has eleven pages describing the top ten educational technology tools that helped teachers the most in the past. Among this list were Lesson Cast (Where teachers submit lesson ideas or management strategies), Glogster Edu (Which was a visual, audio blog for multimedia which appeals to visual interest), School Tube (A safe place for students to share videos), Story Bird (A place where students can write and design their own books), Flashcard Machine (On screen flashcards for testing and studying) and Edmodo (Which is a safe place for you to interact with students and inform them about homework and assignments). There are more sights listed in the article but I think they are all very useful and interesting ways to incorporate technology into classrooms.
Overall, I am going to keep using my PLN for an educational purpose. I never realized how many educational tips and tools were on Pinterest. I will be able to incorporate so much technology and ideas into my future classroom all because of Pinterest.
I used Pinterest for my PLN
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ldonline.org/article/10_Tips_for_Software_Selection_for_Math_Instruction/6243
I found this article through one of my pins, mathlanding.com. The article can be very helpful for all educators, more sprecifically people working with students that have a learning disability and/or difficulty with math. The article focuses on providing teachers of students who have a learning disability with effective software for teaching math. Overall the software you choose should benefit the student and be based on material they're already learning,it should be realistic, and most imporatantly it should have as little on the page as possible as children with learning diablilites and difficulties have trouble concentrating when there are such distractions.
I do like pinterest and will continue to use it in the future because it has really cool ideas for art projects and fun links to other sights that can help others better teach a certain topic.
http://iteachers.tumblr.com/post/21853451739/diigo-in-the-classroom
ReplyDeleteOne of my PLN’s is on Tumblr. I follow someone called “iTech , iTaught, iTeach.” As I was going through their page I found a post-called “Diigo in The Classroom.” Diigo is a free social bookmarking, research, and knowledge sharing tool created to imitate the process of taking notes while providing a network for sharing and discovering information. Diigo has great ideas on how to use this for multiple levels of students and professional developments. On Diigo you can highlight specific things in a paper you are assigned to read as if you would on a piece of paper. You could also type up little foot notes. You could make sticky notes to go back and reviews or go over what you highlighted or noted. This is a very interesting tool for the classrooms. They’ve got some great ideas on how you can combine its uses specifically for English teachers.
Shannon, I agree with your ideas about Diigo in the classroom. Diigo seems like a great tool for students because as we technologically progress, textbooks will probably become obsolete. Whether they be viewed electronically on laptops or on iPads or another type of tablet, highlighting and note-taking will be difficult so using Diigo would be a great resource for students. With features like highlighting, sticky notes, and group collaboration, I have to agree that it would be a great resource to use in the classroom!
Deletehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EducationalTechnologyDebate/~3/b0ejYc71YDY/
ReplyDeleteAn article in my PLN is about assistive technology. this article caught my attention for the fact that we are so technology driven in today's modern day. We should have technology in every school that can assist the blind, deaf or impaired.
This article addressees a very important issue. Growing technology itself can help impaired, blind and deaf students learn and develop a 100% more. It gives them an opportunity to be able to have an equal opportunity that everyone has. There should be a lot more assistive technology being implemented in the everyday class room for students. This is need to help advance education for everyone
I agree that the assistive technology should continue to grow in todays generation in order to help the impaired students so that they can have an equal chance at an education.
DeleteWith the recent advances in portable computers impaired students can learn along side their peers with out as much exterior assistance. Such devices expand the least restrictive environment and allow more children to learn in the same classroom.
Deletehttp://thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com/2012/01/praise-jesus-and-little-more.html
ReplyDeleteI used Pinterest as my PLN. The second image in this blog is what caught my attention on Pinterest originally, because I thought it was such a successful and engaging way to teach alliteration. Also, immediately, I was given all these images in my mind as to being able to integrate technology, and personalizing lessons just like Ms. Carroll was able to. Using smart boards to interest and engage the children would be a wonderful concept along with personalizing it, to engage and interest them further.
I love Pinterest and used it as my PLN too, I think there are so many interesting and engaging things that you can find and lot of them are creative. The possibilities to find things that you never would have even thought of are public domain and accessible to everyone. I like your site and I'm really open to finding different ways to teach lessons and different topics to students in fun and interactive ways.
Deletehttp://www.teachhub.com/top-12-math-ipad-apps-students-and-teachers
ReplyDeleteUsing twitter as a source for my PLN, I was able to find great articles all about educational tools, issues in education, and ideas for learning of all ages. I specifically looked at this article about the top 12 math ipad apps because I was intrigued when we learned the other week about how ipads will revolutionize education, and how students can become more interactive in the classroom by using fantastic educational technology such as the ipad. this article names off the top 12 ipad apps for learning math for (mostly) elementary math. One of the greatest parts of this article is that most of the apps they name are free, ant the others are mostly under one dollar, and are therefore cheep yet effective tools for higher learning. The apps run anywhere from easy flashcards, to videos, to more complex games that require quick thinking. Games allow students to be more interactive with their learning, and they are more willing to participate when they are having fun playing a game. Another thing I like about this article is that the apps it lists vary in dificulty, ranging anywhere from simple addition and subtraction to more advanced math such as multiplication and division. I am a definite fan of technology in the classroom in the form of ipads or other tablets, and I think that for reasons like this, we should take advantage of the technology we have available to us, because it will revolutionize the way we teach our kids.
Brittany, I really liked the article that you chose. Me personally I am very on the fence about the use of iPads in the classroom. However after reading this article I think that I can see why iPads are helpful within the classroom. The ideas that they have about the different apps gives such a huge use of different things that students can do to learn math skills and each app seems to have a different use. This article was very informational as well as persuasive as to the use of iPads within the classroom.
Deletehttp://www.dazzleonadime.com/index.php/websites/
ReplyDeleteI found this website off of Pinterest. I had the opportunity to explore it and there are so many fantastic links to other sources. There is a link under the 'technology' category that brings you to a website that student can make their own videos. I think there are a lot of other really interesting resources that can help a teacher make a more engaging and interesting classroom. What I really liked is that all the websites seem to be user-friendly and the games and sites are kid appropriate which can be challenging to come by. Sometimes when it's hard to think of ways to really get the students excited to learn it is important to look at all the other sources available. I think Pinterest is great in this regard because the results are limitless and endless.
I also found this website from pinterest and it had some great tools and resourses that can be used in a classroom to help switch things up a bit and keep students more engaged.
DeleteI did one of my PLN screenshots using twitter. The educator that I followed was Vicki Davis who is very important in the role of education in the classrooms. One article that she posted on her twitter page that i found to be interesting was the article that discussed Apples role in the classroom.
ReplyDeletehttp://coolcatteacher.visibli.com/share/OnPO5M
This article was about how students are born and raised in a digital world, and how Apple is helping student engage with technology while learning by giving students apps, ipads and other technological devices. The facts on how apple is helping technology was interesting. I learned that there are many apps on how to become better at special education to how 7 out of 10 children are using tablets as a way of learning. Apple creates many apps to help teachers teach their students in the best way possible. The article was informative on how involved Apple is in the present and future of education.
Using the PLN's was very insightful and interesting it helped me see how technology and education is used in the classroom in a variety of interesting ways
That was a really interesting article. It's so relevant to today's culture with Apple being so popular. I especially enjoyed the part on special needs education. My mom is a special needs teacher and she uses iPads in her classroom to help the students and keep them engaged.
DeleteThis article was really interesting on how apple has made such a huge difference in learning already and its no where near done advancing. It discusses how children now are going up in such advanced technology and they love using it so its such a great idea to use it to teach them. They will be much more interested in learning.
DeleteOne of my PLNs was google reader. I subscribed to the wall street journal and found an article discussing how HP Labs in India recently won an award to move forward with it's VideoBook educational system that will help students identify key concepts in text and search the internet for related sources. This technology would be very helpful in the future to ensure that students are finding relevant and appropriate sources for their projects, papers, etc.
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444024204578046724146696256.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
I enjoyed using the PLN's. They really demonstrated how there are so many resources for teachers to use to find more information on education and educational strategies.
I really like the fact that this article shows the advancement of technology in order to improve the education of the students. I see too many companies out there worrying more about making more money rather than taking the time to give back in a sense like this one.
DeleteDuring this semester I have read a few of the articles tweeted by education technology users. One article I read was about the use of video technology in classrooms and even outside of the classrooms. Throughout the article, the author talked about how using video inside classrooms of all grades are there to help students have a more detailed and clear understanding of the lesson. Video usage also gives students a better chance to participate during class. Using video outside the classroom is to help students with learning disabilities and physical impairments so that they are able to follow along and learn outside the classroom just as well as students in the class. Video usage is also there to help teachers communicate with each other and share their ideas through technology. This article clearly represents video usage in education positively and gives many examples as to why and how video technology can only help education as a whole.
ReplyDeletehttp://edudemic.com/2012/10/8-simple-ways-to-start-using-video-in-your-classroom/
While many schools today put so much emphasis on standardize testing, I found it interesting that this article addressed this issue and connected to the importance of including video use into the lesson. The article argued that employers and educational leaders now place a greater emphasis on critical problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills, all of which can be developed and improved through the incorporation of technology into the classroom. I found it really interesting that through the basic use of videos, teachers are easily able to enhance the classroom experience and are obtaining better utilization of the available resources.
Deletehttp://www.interactioneducation.com/ipadsineducation.html
ReplyDeleteAlthough this resource has a couple of annoying ads, its a great starting point for a school that wants advice on whether integration of tablet technology is right, how much it might cost and what the benefits are. Even if the reader only makes it to the first link, this site is well worth a visit.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/09/16/the-5-keys-to-educational-technology.aspx?fb_action_ids=10152170160545361&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582
ReplyDeleteThis article dicusses five ways to further enhance technology. How to use it and the benefits of using a computer in general. It goes into depth about what it does for the senses and cognitive development skills. It is very good for someone to review if they are interested in improving their technology skills.
Hi i just saw that you have picked the same PLN as i did. The journal.com i would say thay this website is very good and appropriate for every age and generation. there are new abour the techonlogy used today and also very good information about education in general. there are some ways of using computer into the classroom and tells with details how to use the benefits of the technology and make that technology valuable for your classroom in the future. Students can lerarn hot to be focused more into the technology and not using old fashioned ways to teach the lesson because today children knwo more than us about computeres, ipads, iphones, etc so we have to talk with their language for them to have a better understanding regarding to the lesson. This website si very helpfull for every single age am glad someone else picked except me. good points Melanie :)
DeleteI used the Delicious website for my PLN. I found some interesting articles and websites through Delicious. One thing I found extremely useful was www.teachertube.com. This website is similar to YouTube, which I think is something everyone is familiar with, except that it has all educational videos for teachers.
ReplyDeleteI also took some time to look at other student's PLNs. I think the article Atom found about iPads was very interesting. That was something we discussed in the last class so it was great to see another article in support of what we had talked about.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edutopia.org/classroom-technology-beginner
Throughout the class we have talked about the endless benefits of integrating technology into the classroom, and as a generation that is very much focused on technology advancements, it seems as though we are very eager and open to use technology throughout our teaching. This article addresses the issue of how to get others to become open to the use of technology within the classroom. For individuals who have been teaching their lessons without technology for so long are often hesitant to include it within their lessons. The author discusses multiple steps to encourage these individuals to become welcoming of technology in the classroom. One of the main ways to reach this goal is to begin using technology at home and during personal time. The author argues that a majority of educators would be more apt to carry technology use over from their personal lives into their professional ones than to take it on as a new part of their job.
I used Google Bookmarks for my PLN and found it to be a good way to keep all of my important websites and findings within one central location that can be used from any source.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/storytime
ReplyDeleteI chose this one because I thought it was really cool from pintrest and its really different. Its engaging because children are being read to by the author of the story. I will deffinitly use barns and nobles online story time if I teach younger grades because it would be a good change and its also like they are watching a movie so they will be engaged.
I really enjoyed this. I agree with you, this is something I would like to do with children too. I think story time would be much more interesting and engaging when the author of the book reads their one story. This way the children would be able to ask any questions they had through out the reading, and who better to answer those questions than the author. I never knew that barnes and noble offered something like this. I will definitely look into this for my future students and my baby brother who loves to have stories read to him.
DeleteI think this is a really good resource for working with younger kids. My friend's daughter is 3 years old and she reads the book "Pinkalicious" all the time. I am sure she would love to see that it could be read to her with pictures and all by the author. This is perfect because it would keep the kids engaged, interested, and entertained. It would help students want to read more. It's definitely perfect for a pre-k-5th grade classroom. I like how they have it for ages 0-12 to even teen. It's perfect for children who are better at listening than reading and staring at pages in a book. It would make it easier for students to read a book. I really enjoyed this.
Deletehttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/blended-learning-students-teach-students-envision-schools
ReplyDeleteGoing through my current tweets, I found a link in a tweet by the user Edutopia. Apparently Edutopia not only has a twitter account but a website also. I followed this link to a blog on their page. The title of it was "When Students do the Teaching." In this, the author speaks of a digital literacy class the students took with different styles of teaching. They expressed which ones promoted their learning the best. Some said they liked video stimulations, while others could learn better seeing the person teaching the concepts. All of the students storyboarded their video-tutorial, filmed their lesson, and uploaded the lesson and supporting narrative to Upside Down Academy. This shows how much technology can be used just like we have seen in our class. We learned how to create storyboards just recently and have seen lessons by video. As we have learned, sometimes a video can show a concept better than you can as a teacher.
Following users such as Edutopia and the few other individuals I am can be great for me as a future teacher because they express their views on different aspects of education and provide topics I can relate to and think about. I'll probably look for other educational tweeters in the future.
I also used Edutopia on facebook, they seem to use all types of media. I looked up the article you referenced and thought it was great. As I watched it I thought how great it would have been to have access to that type of technology on a regular basis. The world of technology is moving fast and I agree with you, seeing it used on sites, such as Edutopia, will help develop us as teachers. Nice work!
Deletehttp://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct12/vol70/num02/A-Tale-of-Two-Teachers.aspx#scherer-audio
ReplyDeleteThis article was very empowering. It was about man, Brian, that was a challenging elementary student. But then he met a special teacher who changed his life around. Later on in life Brian then became a teacher, after that a principal and now he is the director of school leadership for 24 schools. This was all do to two teachers; his 2nd grade teacher who said "there is something wrong with you" and Mrs. K who told him he was a leader and could achieve great things. This was a great article because it put me at ease. Not being able to maintain good behavior in a classroom has always been a big concern for me. Especially when thinking about the students that are more "school dependent" than others. But after reading this article I know I will just try to keep in mind that I could be a Mrs. K to those students.
I agree with you Viv that it is nice to read about a success story knowing the obstacles that had to be overcome.Brian's story reflects on the power that teachers have in making an impact on student's lives. Many successful businessman and political as well as religious leaders attribute the focus they were able to maintain at a critical point in their educational development to the profound inspiration of an early educational advocate in their life.
Deletehttp://technorati.com/technology/article/disrupting-education-with-technology/
ReplyDeleteI chose this article because i think it really sets the ground work on how technology is making its way into education. It talks about how teachers as well as students can benefit from it. It tells you a little bit about what types of technology are making an impact like computers, and ipads. Also with the way technology prices are dropping it makes it more avalible to those who dont have a lot of money so that everyone can learn and have fun.
Using Pinterest I found this website that includes a video:
ReplyDeletehttp://theevolvingclassroom.com/2012/04/03/5-tips-for-ipad-deployments/
This video shows how having the students use an iPad keeps the student's interest in school and trying to go up and beyond what is needed for their assignments. Also, what I found very interesting is how a teacher noticed a student becoming shy so he emailed the student knowing that would be the only way the student will feel comfortable speaking to him. It shows how that the iPad is helping to engage students into the class, along with completing homework on time.
I enjoyed this video and agree with the videos message. I think IPAD's are a great, easy way to integrate technology into the classroom. Ipads encourage task-orientated work along with sharing ideas with other students for some who may be shy!
DeleteThis video really does show the good reasons to have ipads in the classroom. They are a really good tool for projects and creativity in general. The email concept is also a good way to communicate with your teacher as well. But I still believe using ipads in the classroom all the time is not a great idea. I think for some projects and things like that they are good, but I still believe in creativity with markers and poster boards and group discussions.
Deletencs-tech.org
ReplyDeleteOne of the resources I used from my PLN is from my Pinterest tool.I found it by going into Pinterest.com/educational technology. The choice I seleceted on this site is pinterest.com/jnase1/educational-technology. From here I seleceted an article entitled 38 Interesting Ways to Use Your Smartboard. The article is a user-friendly guide to navigating on SmartBoard. It gives detail instructions on how to accomplish specific tasks as well as listing shortcuts to do them faster.I like the interactive qualities of SmartBoards and feel that this is a technology that is becoming readily accessible to most elementary and secondary school programs. I feel that become proficient with this technology will benefit my future teaching goals.
This seems like a really good way to learn how to use a smart board. After i learned about how smart boards work i would use your link to teach a lesson about a smart board
DeleteI found PLN's to be an interesting & unique experience in regards to educational technology and learning about the current issues and technology coming out.
ReplyDeleteThe site I chose was Tech & Learning and the article I chose has the following link:
http://www.techlearning.com/default.aspx?tabid=67&entryid=4986
The article was short, but mentioned the lower priced projector replacement lamps. I made a comment basically stating it definitely shows companies are trying to make it cheaper for schools to run, possibly to help keep the extra curricular activities intact. I also commented that it seems like things such as those (extra curricular activities) are being cut way too much in today's world.
Dan, I think this the information from this article is great. I think it is extremely beneficial that the companies are trying to make it cheaper to help with education. Especially since everything is so expensive these days. Smart Boards come are a couple thousand, and most schools can't run off of just one. I think it's very important to help with prices in our classroom.
DeleteI agree that in today's society nothing comes cheap. Why wouldn't anyone want to have things at a cheaper price for a good educational benefit. I also think that the extra curricular activities are wonderful. The more children are involved in the better of they are in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI used facebook as my pln and I followed edutopia. Their posts were about classroom tools that can be helpful along with different idea's for teaching. Many of their articles stressed the importance of classroom community. Many teachers also posted questions on facebook such as how to deal with certain situations they are dealing with in class. Others just posted responses to such questions that were posted.
ReplyDeleteStephen, I was considering about using Facebook for my source for PLN's. I was wondering if anyone else did and I was glad to see your input of the source. I also read some articles of teachers keeping classroom community in high importance. I think its good for that to make the students feel comfortable with their classmates.
DeleteDuring this semester I learned a lot using PLN I have found a lot of good and interesting information.
ReplyDeleteI used bookmark in my PLN. Their posts were about classroom tools that can be very helpful along with different ideas for teaching and how to use technology into the classroom and how to introduce that to different level of classroom. PLN introduced me to different steps and technology how to use that into the classroom and how to relate that to children.
www.thejournal.com/
For my PLN I used facebook. I felt that I would check this site more often and actually read the articles that were posted. I found a great lesson plan that went hand in hand with my smart board project and quiz. It focused on the Civil War and how the Confederacy, after a string of loses was virtually on the brink of collapse. Confederate soldiers, who's enlistment period was over, were departing the battle. Seemingly, the Union had it all wrapped up, but this lesson plan highlighted the troubles that the Union faced by fighting a more "guerilla" style of battle. The Confederate soldier,hunkered down and fought in a hit and run style. The Confederacy also mandated that 6% of the male population of each state be enlisted in the armed forces. This gave them the a fighting force large enough to continue fighting for 3 more years. This lesson plan had great maps and visual aids that made the subject very interesting. Very appropriate for a unit on the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteNorthern Resurgence: Civil War Timeline ( October 1861- April 1862)-Great For Digital Classrooms
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/artsandliving/civilwar/civil-war-timeline-northern-resurgence/
I also used facebook for my pln. The articles I followed showed more math biased lesson plans though. I thought it was interesting though because different teachers commented issues they faced in their classrooms. The methods from the articles mainly focused on alternative ways to present information to the students.
DeleteOne of my pln's was on e-pals.com. Teachers from all over the world post some of their lessons on this website with how they're incorporating technology into their classroom. One stuck out to me in particular, which was a teacher who had a class of combined 5/6 graders who had difficulty with language. She asked that other teachers offer to have their classrooms as pen pals and use e-mail to electronically communicate. She also incorporated geograhy into this by giving students and other participating teachers guidelines about what students should communicate about, which was geography and history about where those other students are from. I thought this was very clever.
ReplyDeleteI have found a ton of resources in my PLN via twitter and facebook and Pinterest. One article that I found was particularly interesting because it talks about the importance of history in educational technology and I am a history minor. The article gives helpful ways to integrate history into successful, and engaging powerpoints for a classroom. This article was posted on Larry Ferlazzo's website of the day blog, where he posts important articles everyday for teaching regarding integrating techonology. This article was posted on October 21 on twitter.
ReplyDeleteWith the help of this course, my PLN has definately grown and I have been connected to helpful resources by educated people who will help my teaching skills. I particularly love using Pinterest!
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2012/05/19/the-best-resources-for-teaching-what-if-history-lessons/
For my PLN, I chose to use Twitter. I found some really cool articles but this one in particular caught my eye. Edutopia posted it on their twitter with the question: "Can games help kids learn?"
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/pin/191403052884684256/
I love how this brings technology into the classroom but in a fun way for students to learn. It includes games for all ages and ways to incorporate from the 3rd grade all the way to college! Students' motivation improved and the games helped students with problem solving, communication, collaboration, and negotiation. As we all know, it's important to keep students engaged and interested in learning and this proves that games don't always have to be harmful to children. In the right learning environment, certain games can be really helpful for students and keep them interested and engaged.
Laura, I totally agree with your notion that games are a good and interesting way to bring some kind of technology into the classroom. Although video games 24/7 definitely is not educational nor healthy, the fact that this type of technology is a growing factor in students lives is something that can not be ignored. By embracing rather than ignoring such a huge piece of students lives, education and learning can certainly be improved and this website does a great job in showing just that.
DeleteLaura, I agree with what your saying kids will always learn better when there fun ways of learning. This will help keep there attention and maybe they'll learn more then they would not learning in a fun way. All these ideas will be really helpful when you have your own classroom and students to teach.
DeleteWhile creating my PLN through google bookmarks, I came across this really cool website
ReplyDeletehttp://www.boxoftricks.net/internet-resouces-for-education/.
Pretty much overall its a site of 204 free online sites that can be used as internet resources for education. They are listed in A-Z order and all include a small tidbit of information about what that site is capable of. Even sites such as Bubbl.us is included as one of the 204 which is extremely cool since we used this site just a few weeks ago in class. Having Bubbl.us as one of it's best free internet sources for education is intriguing, but after actually using the website I found this site of 204 web reliable resources even more valuable and believable I guess you could say. I will definitely be keeping this site as one of my PLN's because it's information is so organized, reliable, and extremely useful.
I chose my PLN through GoogleReader, I found an article that pertains to a constant argument going through our classes.
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/10/10-important-questions-to-ask-before-using-ipads-in-class/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kqed%2FnHAK+%28MindShift%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
The use of technology such as iPads in the classroom is always and will continue to be a constant issue of if it helps or just creates more issues for the students. The article brings up 10 main questions we need to ask before using them in the classroom. These questions include, what are the goals, what can the iPad do that is not possible without it, what sort of instructional planning will be used, what is your own comfort level with the technology, will the iPad require special planning,what is the role of the learner in iPad use, what is the learning environment, how can you experiment with new instruction, and how committed you are to overcoming unseen challenges? I believe these are all excellent questions to ask, and they all involve serious analysis before bringing iPads into the classroom. Personally, I believe that iPads should be used in the classroom, but only in moderation. I prefer interactive smartboard, because it is one that is used for the entire class and can be easily monitored by the teacher. Coming from my own personal experience, it is very easy to become distracted when there is an electronic in front of you.
My source for the PLN's were through Pinterest. I came across an article that showed examples of ways to teach children time and money.
ReplyDeletehttp://mathworkshopadventures.blogspot.com/
While reading this post on pinterest it showed me how important technology really is. I realized that you could easily make what was on paper, much more fun and interactive for the students through a smart board presentation. Now with computers it would be more interesting for kids to have a virtual clock that they can manipulate instead of a piece of paper and pencil.
I used Delicious as my PLN and found this interesting site, Ted.com.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html
It has videos about anything you could think of especially
education. I thought this video about teaching math was interesting. He is discussing how math should be taught on computers, and how important math is and why it should be taught. I agree with him, because I know that I really hate math, and always did growing up in school. So focusing on more specific topics in math and learning them differently may help students keep interest in it.
I think that this is a wonderful idea! It gives the student the benefit of having multiple teachers allowing them to learn to their full potential. Sometimes, something could be so clear to us but students just can't get it. Sometimes they just need to be shown a different method.
Deletehttp://www.bigiqkids.com/parent.shtml
ReplyDeleteThe article that I chose for my PLN was an articles on the use of math on the Internet off of a website. Traditionally I would say math is one of the subject that would be difficult to do on line, it hard to see and be able to see things and grasps concepts that are not right in front of you. But on this website you are able to see everything done out for you, there is a drop down box that allows you to easily choose your answer. If your answer happens to be incorrect you are able to know right away and go back and fix your work.
I agreed with you when you said that math would be difficult to use technology for becuase it usually helps to mess around with a problaem on scratch paper and have a lot of space to figure out the answer. After reading you article, I still think that technology for math isn't the best solution to finding the answer and actually understanding how to figure it out.
Deletehttp://makeeducationinteractive.blogspot.com/2012/10/bar-graphchart.html
ReplyDeleteI used pinterest for my PLN. i love pinterest and think it is a great way to share creative ideas with others of the same interests. The article i found is actually a blog written by teachers who enjoy incoportating technology into their lessons. within this blog they have used engaging lessons for students while incorporating technology such as computers, Ipads and smartboards. The lesson that i found most interesting was the interactive graphing lesson. Graphing is an important lesson for students to master and with an engaging lesson using the smart board students will be more interested and involved with the learning and get more out of the lesson. I will continue to repin education ideas even after this course because i do love pinterest so much and they not only have good lessons but also great ideas for teachers to use in their classroom with behavioral issues, decorating and fun games or projects for their classrooms. After reading some of the above comments i agree with the other students that using the PLN has been beneficial and interesting for myself. i agree with Aaron who wrote above about how the PLN's stressed the importance of incorportating technology into the classroom and how much students benefit from technology incorporated into the lesson! This was a fun way to explore the internet while learning new and creative ideas to improve the classrooms!
http://www.facebook.com/writingproject
ReplyDeleteI found several interesting articles on The Writing Project's Facebook page. The National Writing Project and Edutopia teamed up and create different projects across the country that help students improve their writing. I think this is great because a lot of students today need help in their writing skills.
I noticed that a lot of other students used Pinterest for their PLN's. I primarily used Facebook and twitter for mine. After reading the responses of other students, I plan on exploring Pinterest and building a PLN through there because it seems to have been very beneficial to my classmates.
Chelsea, like you said, I noticed that a lot of people used Pinterest as their PLN. This is what I used as well, but after seeing some articles that you and others got from PLNs like facebook and twitter, I feel like these were also beneficial. Since I already have both a facebook and a twitter account, it would be an easy way to get information, ideas, and updates without having to go out of my way. I had never used Pinterest before this assignment, but now I feel like the more PLNs you can accumulate, the better. There are so many different resources out there for us to utilize.
DeleteI found a lot of interesting articles about Educational Technology using my PLN this semester. I used Twitter for my Personal Learning Network and one of the educators I followed, Andrew Miller tweeted a link to an article titled, "A Principal's Perspective: Preparing to Distribute Student iPads?". This article discusses the many questions a school system need to answer before purchasing iPads for their students. Questions like what if the students lose their iPad, what if the battery dies during school, or what if the student doesn't have wifi at home to complete their homework are all addressed. I found this article to be extremely interesting because after we discussed the use of tablets in the classroom and how many advantages there are for using them, there are many disadvantages that most of us did not think about initially. Obviously cost is a large factor but with a school system with 800 students it is even difficult to provide enough bandwidth for them all. As we progress further into a more technological world and as future educators I think that iPads in the classroom will definitely be a topic of discussion and this article helps answers some questions that school districts are trying to answer in order to get these great tools for students in their schools!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/principal-perspective-ipad-all-students-ben-johnson?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI used Pinterest as my PLN. I followed a few blogs that were about education and educational technology. I thought Pinterest was a good PLN because not only can you see articles from the different blogs that you follow, you can also see pictures that grab your attention and make you want to research more creative classroom ideas. In addition to the many creative classroom projects and ideas I saw, one picture/article I came across explained how there are tons of apps for tablets that can be used in the classroom. I wasn't really aware that there were so many, I just thought teachers would have to be creative with internet use on the tablets. But, there are lists of countless apps from drawing, to math, to science, to reading related that are available for free. Also, almost every app has difficulties according to grade levels, which can be extremely useful, especially for teachers who have students of different learning levels. This way, everybody can do the same activity, but have it meet their needs. This just showed me how much I still have to learn about technology in the classroom, and how many resources are really available out there for us to use. Students and teachers alike can benefit from this different technology, can can grow and learn with it together. I think I will keep up with my PLN after this class is over just because it continues to give me new information and creative ideas for the classroom
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/pin/233131718181982535/
http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html
ReplyDeleteThis video is about how the children are the ones who drive new types of education and ways of learning. All kids learn in different ways and in this generation technology is a huge stepping stone to a new side of teaching children. I really enjoyed using a PLN it kept new ideas together and organized, this activity also helped me find very interesting videos and articles that will provide new ideas and ways to help me teach children in new ways. Overall this activity was very helpful for now and in the future.
http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/06/13/03games.h05.html
ReplyDeleteThis article is about how students are using digital technology in the classroom more, which is inspriring them to become digital disigners. We have talked a lot in the class about how technology is taking over the classrooms, and i think this is a great example of a positive outcome for it. Students are expanding their minds and are looking forward to studying something that they really enjoy in the future. The Students in the article are using critical thinking, and concepts that they have learned in the classroom and came up with a fun and educational game to help learn.
Lauren, great video/article! I agree with you on the benefits of using technology in a classroom you describe. What I liked about your video is the focus on how technology in classroom benefits students who do not have access to it at home due to financial hardships. Integrating technology in a curriculum not only engages them in the process of learning but also evens out their chances of getting better jobs in a future by being competitive.
Deletehttp://www.edutopia.org/grade-level-3-5
ReplyDeletehttp://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf
It is amazing how much I got out from such a short class; I learned new technology, but more importantly, I discovered how useful and engaging it can be. PLN is one of the great tools I'd use from now on. The article and video I attached here are on the use of video games and simulations in schools. They argue that games, even commercial ones, can be useful in classrooms, and I can see how. They can be great to awaken the interest in the subject, they teach problem solving and critical thinking, they allow for creativity - all skills necessary in the real world. I think simulations in particular, are fantastic tool for people to learn. They simulate real life experience but allow for making mistakes without risk. Overall, technology needs to be used in schools to bridge the gap between school and real life and to prepare students for workforce and success.
http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/10/26/florida-board-of-education-pushes-for-elimination-of-state-mandated-textbooks.aspx?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
ReplyDeleteWhen I first began taking this class, I had never used a Mac before. I didn't even know how to turn the thing on! I've always considered myself more of an "old-fashioned" type of person. I never really went on facebook, I didn't even know what facebook and instagram were, and I always thought that the traditional way of teaching was the best way. Taking this class really changed my perceptions. Now that I am done with the course, I am proud to say that I now have a twitter account and use my facebook more than once a week! I also found this article through using my PLN about why use textbooks in schools. This really struck a cord with me. What if every student had all their textbooks on one small convenient device? Maybe the traditional way ISN'T always the best way. I never would have thought this way unless I had been exposed to all the different technologies through this course. These new ways of thinking will definitely help me to become the best teacher I can be.