I am sad to say that I am falling more and more behind with social media. And, it is because I am choosing to do so. However, I have a reason.
I see social media as intrusive, out of my control, and odd. I find it intrusive because the different medias (I mainly feel this way about Facebook) ask and store so much of your personal information. Yes, I know that you control what goes on and what doesn't, and I know that you can control privacy... but they now remember everything that you "like"? And they market to you through ads on the side of your screen... things that you just happen to be into? I also feel like.. if I want someone to know that I went to Georgetown Friday night, or that I was in the Bahamas, I would tell them. But to have people that I haven't seen since 2002 know things about me.. I find it weird. With all of that, it is also out of my control. I can't control what the creators do, or what the engineers change. Last, it is odd. People sit for hours on social media "stalking" people. They look at their pictures, read their posts, and read their friend's sister's friend's brother's post. (That was a moutful).
But my students love it. And this is where I find myself falling farther behind. Where Facebook is something of our generation, my students talk about things such as Instagram, SnapChat, and Pinterest (which I admit I do have a pinterest). I have had to have my students explain to me what they are.
Seeing how much they like social media, I can see how and why it would be a good idea to integrate it into learning (if possible). Such as Edmodo - a great mash up of facebook and blackboard. Perfect for school. The students have their social media craving fulfilled with school based assignments. They can easily access and turn in assignments, as well as ask other people questions. It is engaging, it is fun, and it is the right thing to do. Integrate social media into the students learning, in a meaningful way.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Poddy Casting
Creating a pod case was one of the most fun experiences that I have had in my graduate degree program at GMU. Why? Because. It was fun to hear your own voice, and have the safety of not being seen and editing.
Pod cast's are much like radio programs, but they are edited. They can be changed, re-recorded, inserted, cut, pasted, etc. etc. until it is exactly the way you want it. My partner and I encountered an issue in which I stumbled over a word. SO what did we do? We re-recorded it, cut out the old, and put in the new. Viola! Perfectly done.
The recipe for the perfect podcast
1 - 2 (maybe 3 or 4, if you have a large group of students) willing participants
1 interesting topic
1 computer or lap top
1 audio program (audacity is free and works well)
1 mp3 converter
Enough information to cover the time needed
1. Begin with your willing participants gathering information on their topic, and creating a script.
2. Once the base of the pod cast is created, allow time for the students to marinate and practice the information in their head. This is a good time for revisions and altering the script.
3. Find a quiet space for the students to sit and record their pod cast. During this process, look for signs of re-recording, adding effects, and altering sounds. If you do not see it, I recommend to give your students the advice to do this.
4. When the podcasts are complete, save time to share with everyone.
This recipe may be altered depending on your group of students and your taste. Make sure not to jump right in, but to preteach all of the skills necessary to be successful. Once you have done that, sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of enjoyment, engagement, and learning.
Pod cast's are much like radio programs, but they are edited. They can be changed, re-recorded, inserted, cut, pasted, etc. etc. until it is exactly the way you want it. My partner and I encountered an issue in which I stumbled over a word. SO what did we do? We re-recorded it, cut out the old, and put in the new. Viola! Perfectly done.
The recipe for the perfect podcast
1 - 2 (maybe 3 or 4, if you have a large group of students) willing participants
1 interesting topic
1 computer or lap top
1 audio program (audacity is free and works well)
1 mp3 converter
Enough information to cover the time needed
1. Begin with your willing participants gathering information on their topic, and creating a script.
2. Once the base of the pod cast is created, allow time for the students to marinate and practice the information in their head. This is a good time for revisions and altering the script.
3. Find a quiet space for the students to sit and record their pod cast. During this process, look for signs of re-recording, adding effects, and altering sounds. If you do not see it, I recommend to give your students the advice to do this.
4. When the podcasts are complete, save time to share with everyone.
This recipe may be altered depending on your group of students and your taste. Make sure not to jump right in, but to preteach all of the skills necessary to be successful. Once you have done that, sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of enjoyment, engagement, and learning.
Hit it DJ: Wiki Wiki Wha?
Wikipedia? Is that the first word that came to your head? Because that is the first thing that comes to my head when I hear the prefix "wiki". Very commonly known, Wikipedia is the online encyclopedia that has information about EVERYTHING! It was a bummer when it wouldn't show up properly on the first smart phones, but that glitch was quickly fixed. Now, we have access to wikipedia on anything that can connect to the internet.
Are there wiki's outside of Wikipedia? Quickly I learned, yes.
Wiki's are very common. They are online tools that can be used for many people to collaborate, gather, and share information. What is cool about them is that you can give access to people to use it, so it is controlled. But, once the person has the ability to sign in, he or she can edit, correct, add, or change anything in the wiki at any time.
So the question is, why would I use this in my classroom? Isn't this too complicated for ten and eleven year olds to use? The answer is no, it is not too hard. With the proper support and scaffolding, the students would be able to be very successful with this online learning tool. Here are some ideas of how to implement wiki's into my classroom:
1. to review for SOL information - the students could create wiki pages on each of the topics that we studied in (for example) science. Then, they would be in charge of a page, creating, adding, and editing the page. It would give the students ownership over their work, and it would allow for collaborative building of information.
2. biography study - the students could use the wiki tool to do a biography project on a person. They could create different pages for the stages in life for the person, and isert information and pictures. It would be very fun for the students because again, they would have ownership over the project, and they would be able to share their work.
3. book reviews - the class could create genre wiki's and have separate pages for the books that they had read. They would have certain information that would have to be included about the book, but everything that they inserted would be theirs.
Why not use wiki's? They are helpful, and they use technology (the stuff that kids love).
Are there wiki's outside of Wikipedia? Quickly I learned, yes.
Wiki's are very common. They are online tools that can be used for many people to collaborate, gather, and share information. What is cool about them is that you can give access to people to use it, so it is controlled. But, once the person has the ability to sign in, he or she can edit, correct, add, or change anything in the wiki at any time.
So the question is, why would I use this in my classroom? Isn't this too complicated for ten and eleven year olds to use? The answer is no, it is not too hard. With the proper support and scaffolding, the students would be able to be very successful with this online learning tool. Here are some ideas of how to implement wiki's into my classroom:
1. to review for SOL information - the students could create wiki pages on each of the topics that we studied in (for example) science. Then, they would be in charge of a page, creating, adding, and editing the page. It would give the students ownership over their work, and it would allow for collaborative building of information.
2. biography study - the students could use the wiki tool to do a biography project on a person. They could create different pages for the stages in life for the person, and isert information and pictures. It would be very fun for the students because again, they would have ownership over the project, and they would be able to share their work.
3. book reviews - the class could create genre wiki's and have separate pages for the books that they had read. They would have certain information that would have to be included about the book, but everything that they inserted would be theirs.
Why not use wiki's? They are helpful, and they use technology (the stuff that kids love).
Sunday, February 10, 2013
To Blog or Not to Blog?
That is the question.
Why? Because blogs are PUBLIC. Anyone and everyone on the internet (unless you create special settings) can read it. SO you must ALWAYS think to yourself... is this okay for EVERYONE to read? My parents? My grandparents? My coworkers? My BOSS!?
When I think of blogging, many different blogging experiences come to mind. Let me share a few.
1. Tucker Max - This guy started off blogging about his "encounters with women" in college. They were outrageous, condescending, and hard to believe... but for some reason, very appealing. Tucker Max knew that. He continued to use his blog to share his "stories". His blog became so popular that he now has three books and a movie. **The power of the blog**
2. Julie Powell - This lady wanted to try every recipe of the famous chef, Julia Child. She decided that throughout her journey, she would blog about her experiences, how everything goes, and her journey to achieve her goal. She gathered a great number of followers, and had a book and movie created about her. **The power of the blog**
3. Shana Speiss - A lady that I know had a traumatic stroke while she was in her twenties. She went through a long period of recovery, and found comfort in blogging about what she was going through for two reasons. First, it helped her come to peace with what had happened to her, and what she had experienced. Second, it helped her spread the word to other women about their chances of having a stroke while being so young. Shana got a big enough following that she was asked to come onto GMA and share her story. **The power of the blog**
4. My experience - I have never been fully successful using blogs because I have never had a solid reason or the desire to follow them through daily, much less weekly. I had one blog over the summer with coworkers, in which we would share recipes. It worked for about.. a week. Then, the summer engulfed me in it's beautiful glory, and I never blogged again. I also started a blog for my wedding, to share my journey.. but since things were not happening every day, I didn't know what to blog about, so I stopped.
As you can see, there are many different uses to blogs. Showing off your writing skills through story, sharing a personal journey that you are taking, spreading the word to help educate the community, and for just being goofy.
I think to myself, how could fifth grade students benefit from blogs? And what would they enjoy blogging about?
My idea:
Every Friday, my homeroom goes to the computer lab. They are going to start blogs about their highs of the week, and their lows of the week. I am going to explain to them that their highs and lows can be academic, or personal. I will have to reinsure them that only I am going to be reading their blogs. I anticipate that the blogs will begin meekly, but then will transform into true self-reflections containing deep thought and future goals. By doing this, the students will be able to find something good about each week, and something that they want to change or work harder for. I hope to use it as a tool of encouragement and hope. **The power of the blog**
Why? Because blogs are PUBLIC. Anyone and everyone on the internet (unless you create special settings) can read it. SO you must ALWAYS think to yourself... is this okay for EVERYONE to read? My parents? My grandparents? My coworkers? My BOSS!?
When I think of blogging, many different blogging experiences come to mind. Let me share a few.
1. Tucker Max - This guy started off blogging about his "encounters with women" in college. They were outrageous, condescending, and hard to believe... but for some reason, very appealing. Tucker Max knew that. He continued to use his blog to share his "stories". His blog became so popular that he now has three books and a movie. **The power of the blog**
2. Julie Powell - This lady wanted to try every recipe of the famous chef, Julia Child. She decided that throughout her journey, she would blog about her experiences, how everything goes, and her journey to achieve her goal. She gathered a great number of followers, and had a book and movie created about her. **The power of the blog**
3. Shana Speiss - A lady that I know had a traumatic stroke while she was in her twenties. She went through a long period of recovery, and found comfort in blogging about what she was going through for two reasons. First, it helped her come to peace with what had happened to her, and what she had experienced. Second, it helped her spread the word to other women about their chances of having a stroke while being so young. Shana got a big enough following that she was asked to come onto GMA and share her story. **The power of the blog**
4. My experience - I have never been fully successful using blogs because I have never had a solid reason or the desire to follow them through daily, much less weekly. I had one blog over the summer with coworkers, in which we would share recipes. It worked for about.. a week. Then, the summer engulfed me in it's beautiful glory, and I never blogged again. I also started a blog for my wedding, to share my journey.. but since things were not happening every day, I didn't know what to blog about, so I stopped.
As you can see, there are many different uses to blogs. Showing off your writing skills through story, sharing a personal journey that you are taking, spreading the word to help educate the community, and for just being goofy.
I think to myself, how could fifth grade students benefit from blogs? And what would they enjoy blogging about?
My idea:
Every Friday, my homeroom goes to the computer lab. They are going to start blogs about their highs of the week, and their lows of the week. I am going to explain to them that their highs and lows can be academic, or personal. I will have to reinsure them that only I am going to be reading their blogs. I anticipate that the blogs will begin meekly, but then will transform into true self-reflections containing deep thought and future goals. By doing this, the students will be able to find something good about each week, and something that they want to change or work harder for. I hope to use it as a tool of encouragement and hope. **The power of the blog**
Friday, February 1, 2013
Mio??
Now... you are probably thinking.. okay, I got pencils and erasers, but Mio? What does that have to do with teaching? Well let me tell you.. it has everything to do with teaching in my classroom. My kids have taken and responded to Mio the same way cats respond to Cat nip (if that is even the way you spell it.. I have never had a cat.. so I am not too familiar with the stuff. However, I do know that it is somewhat like a... well.. it makes cats more active). My students have now started drinking Mio STRAIGHT from the bottle!
Side note: For those of you who do not know what Mio is... it is a water additive that flavors your water. It is for people that don't like water, are tired of water, or simply want something with taste and no calories. It is rather delicious when used properly. The directions say to squirt the Mio into your water, a couple of times, to your taste. You can make your water flavor as strong or as weak as you want. They even have Mio Fit, with additives that supplement your tired, post-workout body.
I have had my students fight over whose Mio bottle is whose... and half the time it is over empty bottles?! They like Mioso much that they now take off the lid, and fill the little bottle with water, and then squirt the water into their mouthes. I wouldn't care.. however, students get very hyper when drinking this stuff (whether it is a product of the Mio, or simply him or herself) and it is very distracting during class. All I can say... hopefully this is a phase.
THE THOUGHTS OF A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER
Side note: For those of you who do not know what Mio is... it is a water additive that flavors your water. It is for people that don't like water, are tired of water, or simply want something with taste and no calories. It is rather delicious when used properly. The directions say to squirt the Mio into your water, a couple of times, to your taste. You can make your water flavor as strong or as weak as you want. They even have Mio Fit, with additives that supplement your tired, post-workout body.
I have had my students fight over whose Mio bottle is whose... and half the time it is over empty bottles?! They like Mioso much that they now take off the lid, and fill the little bottle with water, and then squirt the water into their mouthes. I wouldn't care.. however, students get very hyper when drinking this stuff (whether it is a product of the Mio, or simply him or herself) and it is very distracting during class. All I can say... hopefully this is a phase.
THE THOUGHTS OF A FIFTH GRADE TEACHER
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