week #4/excel spreadsheets

Week4blog2

 

Excel Spreadsheets can be used in various ways with in the classroom. Spreadsheets can be used to work in conjunction with Smartboards as an excellent resource.  I found many lesson plans and ideas on this website http://www.internet4classrooms.com/on-line_excel.htm. One idea is to make a spreadsheet and have the class will vote on information that they choose and then turn that information into  charts and graphs.

Another way to use a spreadsheet in Language Arts class, read the book Green Eggs and Ham by Doctor Seuss as a class. Then on a spreadsheet write the items discussed in the book (eggs, ham, cooking oil, green food coloring). List four different grocery stores and ask students to price the items. Ask questions like “Where could you buy the least expensive eggs?” Another idea Language Arts could be documenting reading log/minutes, average the amount of words read per week. In math class, you can use spreadsheets to teach money and making change. This activity would work well on a Smartboard as well. You can also make hundreds and thousands charts to teach numbers. Another cool idea is creating pictographs. I saw a lesson plan on charting weather that was used in conjunction with the Smartboard. There are so many ways to make the classroom more exciting and all we have to do is put some time into jazzing up a traditional lesson plan with some technology.

Social bookmarking can help teachers and students in many ways. I chose Diigo as my social bookmarking site. I do think the Diigo site will help me as a teacher because I see myself contacting other people’s sites to research topics for lessons and to collaborate and share ideas. I strongly believe that we should not all have to reinvent the wheel every time we want to do something! I like the idea that if I find people who think as I do that I can subscribe to their RSS and receive updates on new websites that they have added. I also like the idea of collaborating with other schools and sharing bookmarks between participating communities. I know several teachers in other districts and think that social bookmarking would be a great way to share knowledge. I also would use a feed to the library to stay updated on new books, articles, etc.

As for students utilizing social bookmarking in class, I think they should be given live, acceptable links to select from which would make their search more productive in the time they have to work on it. Students can also do peer collaborating for projects, use video channels instead of face to face presentations, and use links to libraries to get updated on new books, articles, events or information. 

week #4/Google Apps 2

 

I am working toward my Elementary and Special Education Certification. The lessons that I chose were lesson plans for elementary students. I would adapt the lesson to meet the needs of any student. I reviewed the Lesson Plan: Graphing with Google Docs & Forms. The grade level is K-3. I liked this lesson plan because I thought it could be used in a math lesson or I could use the lesson in another subject area and integrate math. You can collect data on any subject which is why I thought it could be used elsewhere. This lesson allows students to get to know each other a little better using a class survey. It also allows students to read and interpret various graphs. Students then view their results by using a spreadsheet. This lesson is very good for students who are visual learners.  I think that appealed to me too because I am a visual learner. This lesson is an excellent way for students to interpret information, practice their writing skills, pose questions, and learn or revisit vocabulary. I think this lesson would be great to do in the beginning of a school year. It would allow students to get to know each other.

 

My second lesson that I reviewed and liked was the Lesson Plan: Book Buddies for Grades K-3. I loved this lesson plan because students practice technology skills, develop their LA skills while doing it with an older student. Students develop a digital storybook of their own to print or view online. This lesson is wonderful spin on the traditional book buddy scenario where older students come and read with their buddy. This way the younger student can learn an additional skill from their book buddy or they can both learn something new together. I liked the fact that they will be able to look back in time at the book they both created.  

Week #4/Google Apps 1

            I can think of a time that I was working on a group project at Albright that involved a Power Point presentation. If we used Google Apps we could have all collaborated and put our setting on private as we wrote our sections of our assignment. We could have given each other more immediate feedback by using this tool instead of working around each other’s schedules, meeting and then making our changes. Our group also did not live near the college, we had jobs, and families to think about so scheduling meetings was quite difficult. We also may have been able to get feedback from other if we were not logged in as private. Perhaps someone could have offered us an idea that they used and we could have tweaked it and used the idea.

            There are endless ways to utilize Google Apps in the classroom especially if you have easy access to computers. Of course, this will depend on the school district that you are teaching in and availability. Overall, I think Google Apps fits right into the Digital Native learning style. After viewing the lesson plans on Google Apps it made me think the traditional way of teaching that is done in most schools can be some what boring. On the other side of that…. as I read about all the possibilities, it seemed a little overwhelming! I particularly liked the idea of being able to get feedback from students about their group members and how they think their project is going. Some students may pick up the pace in a project if they knew their group participation was being discussed with the teacher in this way. I also thought it would make the traditional paper and pencil peer editing a lot more exciting. I would use Google Apps for writing assignments because it would definitely help students who don’t like to write and have trouble spelling. I think it would be an excellent way to integrate math into other subjects utilizing graphing/data. Using Google Apps may seem a little time consuming at first until I use it a few times and work out the bugs.

9/16/09 "language" and R/W tools

As I mentioned last week, I am  of  the "Digital Immigrant" era. I also speak with the "accent" but I am working hard to lose it. Losing it is not very hard these days and I don't mean the accent. I feel fortunate, in fact, down right blessed to have two teenage daughters who help me speak the "language" a little bit better. Teen years are not easy for students and adults or parents and adults. In fact, it is not easy to speak their language let alone a technology language.  I also feel fortunate to already work in a school so hearing the"language" is not foreign to me. I sometimes have moments of being "cool" because I am at least aware of the technology and wanting to learn about it. I slipped a little today and left my daughter hanging because I failed to check my home email after school. Since I did not check my email she went to her soccer practice and it was canceled (by email). I usually check the email if the weather is bad???? I felt terrible but what surprised me most was that no one texted her as they have in the past. Was someone other than myself disconnected? The Net Generation truly relies on technology and are always connected.....but not me today.

I thought I was getting so much better, too. 

I have to say I was not that surprised with the results of the graphs in chapter 7-Convenience, Communications, and Control:How Students Use Technology.  Being college students I was not surprised that they spent the most time using technology for school purposes and then for   communication and music . I did fall within the thought patterns of the Boomers from time to time as I read the chapters. I think it is OK if my perspective is not always the same as other students. I think we can all learn from each other. We are here to help each other grow as long as we are all willing to.

As far as generations and technology go, what we see in today's technology will be equivalent to landlines, mechanical pencils, and mainframe computers. What is funny about young people is that they may see middle aged people (like myself) as old, uncool and so yesterday but their matter of fact world and "language" of CD's, text messaging, blogging and cell phones will be a thing of the past as time goes on and it always does. There are many moments in our lives that we don't think we are speaking the same language but in the end we do. We are just not here on earth long enough to enjoy the sound.

Now lets see if I know some of the terminology in the technology "language" such as Google Docs. Have I ever used a Google Doc? I have to say no, I don't believe I have. I have an email account but don't have gmail. I don't have a lot of opportunity to work cooperatively on spreadsheets and presentations on line, so I'll have to say no to that experience. I do like the concept and I do like that you can choose who accesses your documents and that you can publish within your company. I think this is an excellent Read/Write tool. I would like to try it sometime.

Everything I have learned (while working in the elementary and middle school) about Wiki has not been very good. The librarians  have warned our students to stay away from http://wikipedia.org because other people can edit it and can put anything on it.

A Read Write program that I was not that familiar with was Flickr and Buzznet. I have used picasa and seen kodak gallery. We have gotten some beautiful and fun pictures out of picasa. I was also unaware of streaming videos and using them in the classroom. There is so much to learn and just when I think I am keeping up many more advances will have been made.

first blog

My children will think I am so cool.