VoiceThread

Here is the link to a VoiceThread I created last year with my Kindergarten students.  I apologize ahead of time for the volume control..it was our first time!

voicethread.com/share/1515822/

National Educational Educational Standards for Teachers & Students

                I am familiar with the standards for teachers and students.  Currently in my school with have a technology specialist that works closely with teachers and students on a weekly bases.  She comes into the classroom and teaches ‘tech minutes’ to the students which focused on a domain in the standards.  After she comes in the teachers work closely with her to incorporate and continue to teach the students standards while also working to meet the teaching standards. 

                My overall reaction to the standards, both teacher and student, are that they are very beneficial in the twenty-first century classroom.  Most students are using technology regularly at home and have wonderful things to share and contribute to what is being taught or used in the classroom.  Both standards are very clear and detailed so they are easy to incorporate and understand.  The student standards promote students to gain responsibility and students begin to look at their community to collaborate with others to enhance understanding on educational topics and technology.  The teacher standards are clear and help to facilitate collaboration with others, even with professional development (PLC’s).  I wish examples would be offered on some suggestions on how to teach and help primary grade level students.

                I think there are some standards that are being met regularly and then I think there are some that need to be further evaluated and incorporated.  I notice there are teachers at many different levels.  Some teachers work on incorporating technology on a daily basis, that work closely with the technology specialist to make sure standards are being met, and then there are teachers that incorporate it when it is required or they are being observed and their students are not getting many of the standards.  I think there needs to be more of a focus in our building for all teachers and a monitoring or evaluation form put in place to really see what is being done at each level.  Many times administrators and board members need to be more onboard with the standards and how technology is used in the classroom.

How many other schools have technology specialists that are available to teach lessons and work closely with teachers to make sure standards are being met?  Also, some ideas on how technology use and integration of standards can be evaluated to ensure they are being incorporated into our daily teaching.

Chapter One-New Literacies for New Times

I really enjoyed reading and exploring through this chapter.  There were many connections and information from the IRA website and reinforcement on the importance of integrating technology.  There were some websites that I was familiar with and have used in my classroom and there were others that I have never seen before that I will share with my students.  Below are a few websites that I found to be useful and valuable. 

·         The Math Forum at Drexel- 

I really enjoyed this math site as it offered wonderful continuing education opportunities and professional development course that you could sign up for directly off of the site.  I liked how everything was all in one place and you didn’t need to go off and search for sign up information.  It also offered syllabuses for the courses which is something that I am always interested in seeing first before registering so I can make sure that the course is geared towards further development, since everyone comes with different experiences.  I also thought it was valuable for students because it had grade level activities, lessons, and expectations that were easy to follow and very ‘straight’ to the point. 

·         Starfall- 

I love Starfall!  I used it a lot last year when I taught Kindergarten.  It is a great resource for alphabet learning, phonics, and even reading.  There are many learning opportunities and fun activities that are easy for young children to follow and navigate independently.  I currently use in my first grade classroom as a literacy center occasionally and regular with my reading intervention students to reinforce alphabet recognition and phonics skills.

·         Education World-

I think the games are very beneficial on this site.  They connect closely with many curriculum standards.  They would be great to use whole group as well as individually, and even in centers!  I like how the sites for each game are listed with a description that is clear and easy to understand how it connects to learning.  Each has a grade level, focus areas, even gives the URL.  The availability of the URL is valuable because you can go directly to the site rather than having to navigate and find it.  This is great for teachers as it is all at one place!

·         National Geographic Kids-

Currently, I have a magazine subscription for my class from National Geographic and my students love it!  It connects to most of our science and social studies units.  I have explored this site as a group with my students to support lessons.  This really gives students a hands-on approach and connection to what is happening in the world.  I love how there are facts supported by videos, maps, notes, even quizzes, and e-cards.    I am looking forward to using this site with my students over the next few weeks as we work on our animal projects in science. 

 

   I am wondering if there are any other websites or online resources that connect closely to science curriculum, particularly at the primary grade levels.  I have explored and found a few like Discovery Education and World Book, but it seems like upper grade level resources are easier to find.  Any thoughts or ideas? 

Animoto Videos

Attached are few Animoto videos that I have done.  The first one I created with the two girls I babysit for for their mother's birthday back in December.  The other two are examples my first graders created to show a timeline of their lives.  It went hand-in-hand with our Social Studies curriculum on Growing Up!  Let me know if you have any questions! 

Enjoy:) 

Animoto birthday gift

Animoto Timelines