Comics and Cartoons

The use of comics and cartoons is a wonderful way to get your information across to students. I have noticed that more and more students are enjoying graphic novels and found that the information from this site to be quite useful as I explore all ot the options available to educators. 



http://www.scoop.it/t/comics-and-cartoons


Check out the link below.  There are cartoons for many subject areas as well as ones you may want to use with your friends.  I was thinking that adding a little humor into our students' day would be a great way to connect with them as well as so reduce some anxiety for those who get uptight prior to tests etc. Another thought is that some can be used as story starers and the students could add a few more frames to develop a comic of their own.  


http://www.glasbergen.com/education-cartoons/

Family First --- Animoto

This is a trial animoto using my family as my wonderful guinea pigs.

Model Educator and Teacher Blogs

I enjoyed and agreed with the comments on the Stump the Teacher blog.   http://stumpteacher.blogspot.com/  The fact that teacher -student relationships are changing but are not reflected in the schools was a point well taken. "Teacher and school leaders may want to change and some may even have the knowledge to do it. Yet, they lack the follow through and plan of action to get it done." This comment struck me as very important since we strive to improve but spend too much time just talking about change instead of putting it into effect.  

The Innovative Educator  http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/was another source of information that was helpful to me. The reminder that we are teaching children not subjects would be good for all of us to keep in mind. The reference to the child being more than a test score really hit a strong note after spending the last 3 weeks feeling frazzled over CMTs. The Innnovative Educator comments reminded me that being supportive is a must so that the students work can  reach their potential and realize that they matter. 

Teaching with the Internet K-12: New Literacies for New Times

Effective Instructional Models - Chapter 3

As I explored each of the websites listed, I was disappointed to find that the majority of the links were no longer working.  However, the ones that I did find connected were creative and worth the time it took to view and read through them. The massive amount of resources has me quite overwhelmed but eager to continue to learn how to integrate technology in my classes.

I am eager to use some of this new learning to broaden my skill base as well as that of my students.  The resources available can be used with different content areas and as I spend more and more time investigating I will be able to add to my library of websites/resources already in use to assist students.

Wikis

So much vocab and such as short memory.  Well I tried Hackpad and did not have much luck.  I think Wikispaces will be better for my use since we use it throughout the district and the home page was not as cluttered. Google docs is also on my list of usable tools with students.  All of this is quite overwhelming.!!!!

Blogging with Students

Blogs are very new to me so I feel as though I need to read the info a couple of times to absorb it. The 14 Meaningful Steps to Student Blogging broke the info down so that I could follow it without alot of techie vocab that I have to learn.  The readings were very insightful.  I think the
http://www.kidblog.org/ website is one of the easier to understand and I am interested in setting it up so that students can communicate with me, each other and it gives their parents an opportunity to become more involved. The step by step instructions are very helpful and seem as thought they can be followed by the class as they are being introduced.  Using the Smart board would be how I would teach the basics to a group. 

The blog " Why students should Blog- My Top 10 " was another good source of information for me. It discussses student's having a audience, allows them to track their own progress,  gives studnets the opportunity to truly feel like an author and teachers easy access to student work are some of the pros to blogging.

New Literacies

Dr. Leu's information on new literacies is a must see for all teachers!  His clear, concise explanations of new terms that are incorporated in New Literacies gave me hope that I can be instrumental in not only learning how to Really incorporate technology but that I may be able to share this information and coax other colleagues to try to expand thier ideas when planning lessons.Use the link below. It cleared up some misconceptions I had and motivated me to venture on.

http://ctell.uconn.edu/canter/canter_video.cfm?movie=1c_emerging.mov

NETS for Teachers

It is essential for teachers to stay ahead of the advances in technology if they are to keep up or at least be co-learners with their students. The links below outline what teachers need to know and how they can plan for the advancement of their students as well as themselves. I found the link particularly interesting since it outlines the Essentials Conditions needed to be more technologically informed.
http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-T_Standards.sflb.ashx


http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETSEssentialConditions.sflb.ashx

NETS for Students

After reading through the 6 standards for NETS for Students and the student profiles, I found that I had a much clearer view of what students need to learn technology wise. The progression is easy to follow and gives focus to applying prior knowledge as well as introducing new information. Check the examples of the link below to align what you are planning in your classroom.

http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS-S_Standards.sflb.ashx
http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-for-students-2007-profiles.aspx



LOL  We are immersed in technology so we should use it to our advantage.

Luck of the Irish to you!

I am practicing blogging so I wanted to wish you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day with a   little Irish saying that goes like this:

May you have length with your days,
and strength with your step,
and may each season have a reason
to celebrate your faith in mankind!

Have a wonderful Weekend

Welcome Friends!

Tonight is my first attempt at the world of blogging.  Seems to be quite interesting so far and I'm looking forward tolearning about all types of new technology and communication.