So What?

I was able to watch the videos of:

Keri Wooten

Robin Shaw

Alli Whitezell

Riena Kalilimoku

Stephanie Talley

Meagan Miller

All were EXCELLENT and I really enjoyed seeing their ideas and getting new ideas for the future!

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After it all, the question is: So What?

I learned how to make this digital storytelling video and now it's about deciding how I might implement this in my classroom. I really think the biggest challenge that I see in actually doing this in the classroom is just the issue of time. This can be quite the time consuming project, especially for younger students who would need assistance with writing what they wanted to say and who will take longer to find pictures or draw pictures. I do believe it could be done in any grade as long as the teacher and/or the parents are willing to put in the time. This could easily be an assignment that is meant to be completed over a lengthy time period as well as being a take home assignment so that time in the classroom itself isn't being entirely devoted to this one project. There are means to making it work and other than the issue of finding the time I really do think it is a plausible idea for an assignment or activity in the classroom, even if it was a classroom group project. I think it is fun and engaging for the students if the teacher can find a way to manage time appropriately.

Digital Storytelling Video

The long wait is over!

You can now watch my video!

I know how exciting this is for all of you so here you go...

ENJOY!

TPACK

Technological

Pedagogical

And

Content

Knowledge

This week was all about TPACK.

TPACK really is just the incorporation of pedagogy, content knowledge, and technology.

It was really interesting to see the venn diagram and how all of these things work together to really create the best classroom setting and learning environment.

Clearly, it is necessary for teachers to have a good understanding of pedagogy and content knowledge.

These things have been researched and studied for years; what makes an effective teacher?

But TPACK proves that it's more than just those things, that the technology aspect needs to be considered as well. Merely having good pedagogy and a thorough gathering of content knowledge isn't enough. A truly effective teacher takes more than just those things. To really expand and expound a teacher needs to incorporate the technology.

Why is this so beneficial?

I can see incorporating technology as being such a benefit to students. Children of society today are extremely technologically savvy. They have always had technology at their fingertips and to incorporate it into their learning will only better assist them in their process. As teachers we try to use tools and methods that will be most effective for our students; we look for ways to connect what we are teaching them with what they already know, using their background knowledge. What better resource than technology? What greater background knowledge to draw from than just that. Technology is easy for students, it's natural and to use it in the classroom only seems natural. Students will benefit as they have the opportunity to work with something they already know and to build upon their own knowledge using technology as that platform.

My Storyboard

I Bought a New Tank for my Goldfish

by Kenn Nesbitt

AH!

This week's assignment has been INTENSE and all I can really say about it all is AH!

I do think I learned something from it all and this would probably be it:

I SURVIVED and I CAN DO IT!

After it all that is what I came away with. Sure, now I know how to make a webpage for my classroom, I know how to embed videos on it, I know how to use googledocs better and the calendar, I know how to share things, make a survey, and so much more. But, the thing I am leaving with after this week's assignment is just the confidence that I CAN do it. I think as a teacher it is so vitally important to have confidence in yourself and in your abilities. Technology in the classroom is useless if as a teacher you don't feel confident in it; you will never use it. You may have the skills and the udnerstanding and knowledge of how to use the various tools availabe, but if you don't feel confident it is all pointless and no one benefits from it. All of these activities this week have boosted my own confidence. I feel like I can accomplish the tasks laid out before me and that I can use technology in my classroom with my students. I am by no means extremely skilled or confident in it, but I do believe that this is the start and as the semester progresses I will grow in confidence as well as skills. That is the greatest thing I have learned this week and the most useful:

CONFIDENCE

Awkward much?

Personally, I am a firm believer that facebook video posts are just weird...

Talk about really personal and I always feel like I'm interrupting something...like I'm looking in on something I shouldn't be, like some sort of private moment...it's just awkward.

Nonetheless...this is me doing it. Awesome.

This is me trying to figure out how to get a screen shot of leaving

a video post on facebook for Nancy....

And this is me after I figured it out...

YAY!!

Google Video Chat

So here it is...Nancy and I totally video chatted on gmail. Minus the fact that I COULD NOT figure out how to take a screen shot of it, it worked out pretty okay. so..TA DA!! :)

My Technology Experience

My technology experience is pretty basic. In elementary school we took classes twice a week where we would go to the computer lab and learn how to type and use the different programs on the computer. This "training" continued through most of middle school, although now most of the "training" on the computer I received is outdated. The most I ever learned about technology came from experience at home using my family's computer. I "explored" a lot with our computer and since both my parents were pretty computer "slow" I learned a lot by trying to figure out things on my own. Throughout high school due to projects and such I gained more experience working with technology. All-in-all, my experience with technology didn't come from classrooms or lesson, but through my own curiosity.