Reflections

First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to the designers of the "technology toolbox" for their time and dedication in creating this educational technology training. As a lifetime learner, it certainly got my "nogging going."

My favorite tools are the digital storytelling or photostory and apps found on the iPod Touch. I'm looking forward to using the iPod Touches that have been issued for our classroom use. Most of our students already have a vast experience manipulating the iPod Touch and searching for information. Together, my students and I will explore these apps to create a student centered learning environment.

In the article Transformed Learning Environments, David Warlick expresses that "technology has advanced and it is becoming increasingly prevalent in our classrooms." I believe that educators need to keep up with technology so that we are up to date with what our students know.

I must admit that I was completely overwhelmed with this online professional development. It reminded of the college courses I had to take many years ago. I've been diligently working on these tools since the beginning of June and it's the end of July and am finally completing this assignment. As mentioned before, I've always had a love of learning and this has definitely stimulated my brain.

Tool 11: Digital Citizenship

Lots and lots of reading on digital citizenship. I'm not promoting any more reading but perhaps we could purchase the book, Digital Citizenship in Schools by Mike Ribble and Gerald Bailey as an added resource.

As teachers, we're responsible for our students learning and most importantly their safety. Regarding digital citizenship, I would focus on the following:

1. Safety - We need to ensure that students understand that the internet is a powerful tool and should be used wisely and consciously. They need to be guided to scrutinize everything they read or listen to online. Students need to be very careful with information that is posted on the internet because it is easy accessible to everyone. It isn't a private place and anyone (parents, teachers, etc.) can read or see what is posted on the internet. Furthermore, teachers must actively monitor where students go on the internet.
2. Responsibility - The TEA website stressed that "teachers should create age-appropriate activities for students." By developing technology skills, teachers can guide students to be responsible in their independent learning. We also need to address the legal rights and restrictions governing technology use or digital laws. Students need to be constantly reminded of copywrite laws and that not all information on the internet is valid or appropriate.
3. Etiquette - Rules need to be set and enforced for appropriate technology etiquette. It is essential to demonstrate courtesy and respect in all our communication with one another. A comment by Tim to Moby on BrainPop, "Treat others like you want to be treated" is the ultimate golden rule.

There are many excellent resources to teach students about digital technology. I would begin the school year by reading the book, Oh, No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World by Mac Barnett. Also, the video, Digital Etiquette on BrainPop gives a thorough explanation why rules and etiquette are necessary for online communication.

Tool #10 - Exploring Mobile Technology and Apps

Fortunately, I attended an iPod Touch training on June 23 where I touched an iPod Touch for the first time! As luck would have it, a very young middle school teacher sat next to me who helped me maneuver the pad. During the training, we reviewed iTunes U and Lit2go. We checked out some popular literature, such as Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm which students read online. After the reading, students can work on comprehension activities for assessment. We also downloaded some Discovery Education videos which need to be converted to MP3. We were given a list of about 100 SBISD Approved Apps for the iPod Touch including:
Skype
Animoto Videos
Dictionary.com
Google Earth
Ecosystems
Houston Zoo
Today in History
Spell Checker
States and Capitals (flashcards for each of the original 13 states along with its capital and flag, voice pronunciation of each state and capital, and a link to Google Maps for each state)
State Capitals Study Buddy (a fun and effective state capitals study tool designed to help students learn the U.S. states and capitals)
Video Science

Unblock Me is like a puzzle where you use strategies to slide the red block out of the board. It was very entertaining and fun!

Be sure to read Mabel's blog and the article she posted entitled, "ick: NYC iPad demo units . . . As a germophobic, my students and I are going to be using lots of hand sanitizers and/or anitbacterial wipes for handling iPod Touches in the classroom - ICK!

OH, and did I mention that I won 4 headphones for the iPod's in my classroom at the training?

Tool #9 - Sharing Information . . .

1. Teachers and students can use Jing to develop videos of previously taught skills, i.e. math and science to enhance information and explanations of concepts that students are having difficulty with. As I'm learning these websites, I appreciated Alfredo's Jing to explain How to include a YOUTUBE video into your blog. Some teachers need help, too!

2. Teachers and students can actively engage in cyberspace using Skype. We can communicate with authors and visit sites unknown to students with virtual field trips. It will also be useful for students to communicate with one another about their learning. As a mentor to one of our fourth grade students at Hollibrook, Karen J. suggested we use Skype to communicate with another SBISD elementary school but we didn't have the time or the hardware to begin the project. I'm hoping that we can implement this in our classroom at the beginning of the school year.

Tool #8 - Video Resources

Using videos in the classroom are an added resource to students' learning process. However, looking for the right video can be very time consuming. I spent several hours looking for a science video on the phases of the moon since our fourth graders need additional support in comprehending this concept. I viewed many videos in Spanish since we will be teaching science in Spanish next year. Unfortunately, the majority of the videos in Spanish are not compatible with our science vocabulary and/or not useful resources to enhance science skills. The GOOD NEWS is that our students could make their own videos and place them on YouTube.

DOKI DESCUBRE: EL SOL Y LA NOCHE

LAS FASES DE LA LUNA

I selected these two videos entitled, Doki Descubre: El sol y la noche and Las fases de la luna from YouTube because they are student friendly. Students can view them to reinforce previously taught concepts.

In a perfect world, students should know their multiplication facts by fourth grade, right?
So there are many, many videos for students who haven't learned them to practice their multiplication facts in a math center. This video entitled, Math Times Tables for 3, 6, 9 from Mister Numbers are strategies for students who are struggling to learn their multiplication facts. It's a fun strategy for right brain thinkers!

Tool #7 - Digital Storytelling

This being my first attempt in digital storytelling, I was quite apprehensive and intimidated by the whole process. Thanks to an "expert" I was finally able to begin and complete this project.
Once we got started, I was fascinated and enthused! I can only anticipate that our students will be as eager to capture their own stories on video using this tool. I will encourage students to write a story by adding their own illustrations and/or music. They can also explain a math, science, or social studies concept using this same digital storytelling process.



I chose this story and the music from What a Wonderful World because it's one of my favorite songs. I also use it at the beginning of the school year to build our classroom community. Afterwards, students will continue reading and listening to this heart warming song throughout the school year. It becomes a memorable moment for all of us. I recall one year that the song was used in an Earth Day assembly at Hollibrook and some of my former students who were already in fifth grade turned and looked at me while the song was playing. By the smile on their faces, I could tell they were thinking that they were playing OUR song.

Tool #6 - Wikis

Even though "wiki wiki" means "quickly" in Hawaiian, I didn't move as quickly as I should have through this webpage. I spent alot of quality time reading and taking notes from other wiki's, such has my fellow bloggers. In addition, the following link is a good resource for teachers seeking innovative ideas on how they can use wikis in their classrooms:

http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/wikideas2.cfm

These activities prompted me to share an interactive activity that I've utilized in my 4th grade writing classroom. It's called "Writing Roulette" which derives from the New Jersey Writing Project. The teacher posts a writing prompt for students to write and complete a story in collaborative groups. For example, the following writing prompt could be posted on wikispaces: It was the first day of school when all of a sudden . . . . Then each student formats ideas to add two or three sentences to build a story. Some to the stories end up to be on the wild side but it encourages humor and creativity.

As for posting of a wiki, I added a checklist for the first week of school to share with teachers. I'm also working on a list of science vocabulary words in Spanish since fourth grade bilingual teachers will be teaching science in Spanish this year. Stay tuned!

Tool #5 - Tagging and Social Bookmarking

This tool was by far the most time consuming to complete. I had alot of difficulty comprehending the terminology with setting up "bookmarks" and "tagging." I also found Delicious much more computer friendly than Diigo. I added the following tags on Delicious:
1) http://www.starfall.com/
2) http://kidblog.org/home.php
3) www.edheads.org/activities/weather/
4) http://www.hotchalk.com/mydesk/index.php/blog-by-shannon-cde-bac/746-tracking-the-sun
Starfall.com is very useful for English Language Learners and students learning to read using phonics. I plan to use kidblog.org to set up blogs for my fourth grade students. They will begin to experience firsthand how to communicate and collaborate with their peers on selected content material. The edheads.org has been a great resource for science instruction and reinforcement of science skills. Lastly, I took some time to browse through some of the other bookmarks and found this awesome lesson on tracking the sun during the school year. Be sure to check it out! Also, the attached video about Harvard graduates who don't know how to light a bulb with a wire and a battery is quite interesting.
http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=76

Tool #4 - Cool Google Tools

1. I have created a document in www.docs.google.com entitled "Newsletter_0810" and sent it to our 4th grade team leader to share and collaborate with other team members. At Hollibrook, every grade level is responsible for writing a monthly newsletter to parents. In our grade level we work together to write it in English and Spanish. Each teacher can add, edit or revise the newsletter before we send it to the person who's responsible for publishing our monthly newsletter.
2. Five blogs that I've subcribed to in www.google.com/reader , are www.atomiclearning.com, www.brainpop.com , www.wordle.net, Fun Image Generators and Skype 4.2 for Windows. Since I just completed a Love and Logic training, I also subscribed to www.loveandlogic.com.
3. There are numerous ways to utilize the Google Docs tool in the classroom. Since the documents are saved online, students can work collaboratively on research projects or writing compositions, stories or poems they've written. Students can receive comments or suggestions from their peers, teachers or parents to improve their piece before publishing it. Once it's published, the document will also be read by other people such as professional writers and authors with many possiblities for publication. The Google Reader allows teachers to share what's new or useful information and strategies to help our students in their learning process.

Tool #3 - Mashups & Generators (Wordle)

Teachers and students can use this wordle for content area vocabulary. In this instance, students can develop their own wordle to identify the vocabulary associated with a food chain. They can practice and add to their word banks. This site can also be used as a reading and writing tool to create a main idea with supporting details and/or use descriptive words to analyze a character in a story.

Tool #3 - I'm a BLOGGER!

Here's a great tool for setting up images for students to add comments about what important concept or idea was learned after a lesson. It's also a great pre-writing tool to unveil their creativity prior to writing a story.

Tool #2 - Collaborating with peers

I liked the analogy that "we are not the engine that makes education run, rather we are the mechanic who fixes and tweaks the engine as it runs itself. We support this monumental shift by making education transparent." As teachers, we are managing a classroom of "mechanics", who will eventually be building an education highway filled with automobiles built for a continually changing cyperspace.

Another point that impressed me was that "We must encourage collaboration and observation. Educators are not competitors, nor should we be. It does take a village to raise a child, but it also takes someone to show the village ways of doing things it had never thought of." During the past two years, our fourth grade teachers at Hollibrook have worked collaboratively, and observing each others' teaching skills while respecting our teaching styles. Although there was a dose of competitiveness, it was good because we were fueled and energized to keep the momentum going throughout our teaching despite many obstacles. It was very obvious that when we worked collaborately our students were also motivated or driven to do the best they could do; whether it was academic or being a good citizen. In the end, all fourth grade teachers were proud of our students who tried their best in having a successful year in fourth grade. HATS OFF TO MY PEERS IN FOURTH GRADE!

Tool #1

We set up our BLOG and VOKI together and we're doing such a great job! Thank you FABULOUS FOURTH GRADE TEAM! Eat your heart out Alfonso and Alfredo!

Blogging

I just wanted to add that as of today, 6/21, I've already spent over 40 hours setting up (and reading!) blogs, avatar and tools and I'm only on Tool #5! Am I the only one who's spending so much time on these tools?