Final Thoughts

I never anticipated learning so much in one 8 week class. In my experience, technology classes usually brush the surface of a few commonly known Microsoft programs and I learn little to nothing new. From the very first class that we filled out the technology survey I knew this class would be different. I had never heard of 90% of the things mentioned on the list. Now, I feel that I can comfortable have an intelligent conversation about all of the new technologies we learned. Also, after learning about the NETS standards for teachers, I feel responsible to utilize technology as much as possible in my classroom and to share with as many colleagues as I can. I definitely plan to begin having a classroom blog to stay connected with parents as I begin a fresh start in 2nd grade next year. I have also recently learned the value of Skype, which I had earlier taken for granted. This course has opened my mind to consider joining Twitter. I had many pre-conceptions that it was just like Facebook, but I see now that it can have many educational and professional uses. My favorite Web 2.0 tools from this class are Animoto, Voki, and Diigo. These new tools will be a constant in my new classroom and hopefully I will soon be able to explore the many many more digital storytelling options that I have saved in my Diigo.

Google Docs

As I was trying to attach a copy of my Kindergarten Writing Rubric to my lesson plan, I discovered that you can not insert an PDF image into Google Docs (that I am aware of). After some research online, I found a free website, Zamzar, that will convert your PDF file into a jpg for you. It only took me a few minutes.

Literacy Project

For my literacy project, I decided to have my students publish their own version of an Eric Carle story, The Mixed-Up Chameleon. After writing and illustrating their pages on paper, I scanned them into iMovie and had them narrate their story. The students were so excited to hear their voices. I plan to make more in the future. Perhaps something to show at our end-of-the-year ceremony.

Digital Story - Earth Day

I decided to make a digital story about Earth Day because I have found that many picture books out there are very difficult for my little ones to understand. It is loaded with a lot of vocabulary and sometimes requires much prior knowledge. I typically end up showing the pictures and paraphrasing the book when I read it to my class. Now, with this digital story, the students can be introduced to the basic concepts which may make the books easier to understand when we get to them.

New Voki

I recently had a new Smart board installed, so I made this to show my kids. I thought this would be a good way to remind the students to sit properly on the rug. I added an extra reminder for Craig because I know he never is sitting correctly. Ironically, my plan backfired. Many of the other "wise" students purposefully stood on their knees whenever I would play it because they were hoping that the dog would say their name too.

Early Childhood Literacy Resources

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I use Starfall almost daily. It is my and my students' favorite website to use in class. I love it because I can feel confident in its ease of use and know that my students are not going to be led astray by confusing links or advertisements. It is so age appropriate and directly correlates to our curriculum. Our Kindergarten team actually subscribes to More.Starfall.com. For those in early elementary grades I definitely recommend it. Sometimes the students get a little bored with just what is on Starfall if they use it at home as well. MoreStarfall gives more variety and also has great teacher resources. There are projectable books, and customizable worksheets. You can type in any high frequency words and it will create them instantly.

As I was exploring, One More Story looked like a good resource for online books. It reminded me a little of Tumble Books. It is frustrating that everything needs to be subscribed to. 

I am also very familiar with Hubbard's Cupboard. I have used it for her great High Frequency Word Books. A kindergarten site that I find very useful to me is Kelly's Kindergarten. She has great center ideas easily explained. She also has put Dr. Jean's great educational songs to a powerpoint. You just have to re-insert the audio. I guess there's copyright issues if she leaves the song. I have tried it with my Dr. Jean CD and it works great. I use Dr. Jean's songs all the time in my class. I dream of having a Smartboard to play the powerpoints along to. Actually, after having this class, maybe I can make a higher-quality digital story for these songs instead of powerpoints!

Planned Digital Storytelling Project

As you can see by the date of this blog, I have been avoiding this topic like the plague. The reason is my inability to commit to an idea. I've changed from narrating a book already written like "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom," Numbers, Alphabet, High Frequency Words, Life Cycles... The list goes on. I think I am over-thinking this project way too much. So here goes - a commitment. (Unless anyone has a suggestion ;) ) My digital story will be about Earth Day. I will make a simple story breaking down the complex vocabulary such as the 3R's: reduce, reuse, recycle, along with environment, climate, etc. I have found that many books out there are still a little too advanced for my little ones, so I end up showing the pictures and paraphrasing them. This way I can choose my own simple pictures and tell about them in a way 5-year-olds can understand, and yet older ones will enjoy as well. Let me know what you think.

What age is appropriate?

When asked the question, "At what age can online/digital literacy activities be integrated into the classroom?" My immediate reaction is no age is too soon. I am a waitress on the weekends and I can testify that at least 90% of the children that come into the restaurant with their families have some sort of electronic device in their hands beginning when they are old enough to hold the device themselves. When the child is too young to hold the device, the parent is often seen holding it in front of them with some sort of application playing for their viewing pleasure. Therefore, I believe that our new generation of students will be coming to us with much more prior knowledge and experience in the coming years. We must be prepared for this and begin to integrate online and digital literacy activities into our classrooms as soon as possible. Evidence for this can be seen through the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology, CTEDTECH. The State Department of Education has established computer technology competency standards for students beginning at Pre-Kindergarten. Specifically, standard 4 - Technology Communications Tools states that students Pre-K - grade 4 should, "Use technology resources (e.g., puzzles, logical thinking programs, writing tools, digital cameras, drawing tools) for problem solving, communication, and illustration of thoughts, ideas and stories; Gather information and communicate with others using telecommunications, with support from teachers, family members or student partners.


Standards have also been established by NETS, as mentioned in previous blogs.

Google Reader

I have become more comfortable using Google Reader. In the past I have had a few go-to kindergarten classroom websites that I would use as a reference for monthly center ideas, etc. It would sometimes be a chore to surf the net for ideas, or I would find one 5 minutes before recess was over, never get to finish or go back to it. Now that I have Google Reader, I have been able to subscribe to these great resources and have the new posts available to me in one spot for me to review. This is definitely going to make my life much easier and way more organized! I can also see how this will keep me current on new trends. This relates to the NETS standard 5: Engage in professional growth and leadership.

Diigo

Here is the link to my Diigo account. For years I have been saving random emails in my exchange email account with links to various sites for all sorts of topics related to education. It was such a relief to delete the folders and add the links to my new Diigo account! There were so many that I forgot I had because they were stuck in an electronic folder - out of sight out of mind. Now they are bookmarked and organized. I have a diigolet on my home and work computer creating a seamless transition. I will finally be able to put them to use.  There I can't wait to go back and organize them more.

I tried to add a Diigo gadget to my blog as suggested on the Online/Class Activities page under social bookmarking, but I could not find it in the list. When I tried adding the URL it said the gadget was broken. Does anyone know how to do it?


Rachel's Diigo

Voki

I had such a difficult time deciding what to have my Voki say. I loved the ideas classmates have done so far with classroom rules, assignment reminders, school pledges. They are all so applicable to our daily lives in the classroom. I found it hard to find a new original idea. I finally decided to make a Voki to use for Open House.  It can be open on the Smartboard as parents enter.

Alan November, Empowering Students With Technology

What struck me the most in Chapter 1 was November's point that we don't necessarily need to focus on the literal use of technology, as students now have a large amout of exposure in their everyday lives and can learn it more quickly that adults. Our main teaching focus should be on critical thinking skills. Students need to learn how to question their resources using meta-web information. It is the natural inclination of a student to believe everything they read on the internet.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to incorporate this new information literacy into what we already teach about concepts about print?

In Chapter 2, November shows how we can expand our relationships with parents through technology. I never thought of videoconferencing. I have had several instances of parents who do not have transportation, or have to work and can not make it to school functions. He also gives a reference of a parent who was "school taraumatized." I actually have a parent this year who does not come. When I asked the student why, she replied, "my mom got in trouble in school when she was a kid so she doesn't like to come to school." Obviously, there is a large hurdle of parents who do not have access to internet. The example in the book has inspired me to pursue grants just as they did at Portage Path school.

Chapter 3 describes teachers as "digital immigrants." I love the idea of reverse mentoring. Not only can teachers learn a great deal from their students when it comes to technology, but what a great confidence and self-esteem booster for the student as well. This can especially help with students who may not be strong in other areas, or even behavior problems.

If, in a perfect world, all parents had access to internet, how differently do you think our daily teaching and learning would be impacted? Do you think this can be achieved?

Digital Storytelling

While exploring The Best Digitial Storytelling Resouces, I loved viewing the 1st grade digital report about Arizona. I hadn't quite understood how programs like iMovie could be used by the lower elementary level until I read about this teacher's assignment to her students. It is so simple that it had never occurred to me to use technology in this way. I could absolutely envision my Kindergartners illustrating their ideas and narrating them on camera.

The video 50+ Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story really broke things down for me in simpler form. It's amazing that there are so many resources out there, and yet most educators are completely unaware. Just today my Librarian was telling me how frustrated she is that she has to teach the 5th graders a unit about Waterbury and Connecticut and could not find a way to make it interesting. I was proud that I could share with her my Storybird and Animoto experiences. I hope that the more I learn I will be able to share with colleagues, just as the NETS teacher standard states, "Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership... by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources."

Animoto

I finally had a chance to play with Animoto! It was frustrating to me that you can't preview the video without publishing it. Was I missing something? Well, those of you from our past classes may get a kick out of the topic...

Presenting: The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin!




I chose the Life Cycle of a Pumpkin because it is a a topic that we cover in great depth in the beginning of the school year. This will definitely be a good teaching tool for me to use in October and November both as a hook or even a review. It will help me to achieve the NETS standard for teachers as I facilitate learning experiences through technology. Does anyone have any ideas of a follow up for students to do after viewing the Animoto?

Storybird

I was so excited learning about digital stories that I had to try it out right away. We created this storybird as a whole group. I maneuvered the mouse and typed, but the class selected the pictures and came up with the text. Not bad for the first try...

Mr. Fin's Adventure on Storybird

(Wow! I think I'm even more proud of myself for figuring out how to embed this story into a blog.)

After creating a Storybird whole-group, two of my higher-level students tried making their own. They are short, but then again, so are their written stories. Adding details and a "kick off" to written stories is something we are still working on. Maybe seeing the digital form and presenting them to the class will encourage them to add more details and pages. They typed everything themselves and chose their own illustrations. It took a very long time. They have never typed this much before.

Silly Cats on Storybird


My  Snowy  Day on Storybird


I'm still new to this... Does anyone know if there is a way to add audio to storybirds?

Model Educator Blogs

Now that I've read several teachers' blogs, I can see how useful it can be as a form of communication between myself and parents, students, and even administration. Does anyone know how effective they are when working in the inner cities or low-income schools? I have always wanted to have a classroom website or blog, but was skeptical about the participation from home. 

Tales From A K-2 Classroom really helped me to see how I can use the blog as a way to communicate with parents. It's really cute that she makes her lessons more relevant to her students by using Angry Birds and other characters that her students are interested in. I must admit, one of my weaknesses is staying up with what is "cool."

Kid Lit Frenzy highlights certain books each week to read. I like the idea of bringing different books to students' attention. I remember when I was in elementary school, I had a difficult time choosing what book would be interesting to me. 

I loved learning about the different technology in Mr. Shur's Computer Lab. It's so true what he said about finally getting the teachers on board with powerpoint and now the students are "been there, done that."

I'm so happy there are so many more options out there to explore. If only the school systems would keep up with the pace of the students' technology. I waitress on the weekends and almost every child I wait on from the time they are old enough to sit up has an iPhone in their hand watching videos. 

Exploring Diigo, Blogs, and Animoto

After exploring through the assignments, I can see how using Diigo in the classroom can be a good way to organize specific resources you would like your students to have access to. This can help when sometimes a search on a particular topic can become overwhelming for some students. It also helps the teacher screen for reliable websites that will not steer the students away. It will keep research time more productive.

I loved watching the Animotos. It already got my brain running to decided what kind of Animoto I will make. I especially liked the shapes and seasons. I was really interested in watching the spanish vocabulary  video, but I couldn't get it to work. I was hoping to see if maybe I could use that idea to incorporate kindergarten high frequency words somehow.  

Effective Instructional Models

The amount of resources available to educators on the internet is overwhelming. It is clear that the more you search and become familiar with the resources, the more you will develop as a teacher and integrate more teaching strategies. I was a little disappointed that many of the links that I clicked on in Chapter 3 were no longer working though, especially the ones under the heading for Sharee Mendoza's Class. Many of the links I was interested in on Schoolnet were no longer available as well.

One of the articles offered on Reading Online was about posting "book talks" online for students or colleges to view, like a teaser to make them read them. I can envision - if I taught an older grade it might be fun to post a book talk per week to inspire students to check out a particular book, or having students post a "book talk" about a book they just read for other students to check out.  Here is the article.

NETS (National Education Technology Standards)

Below is a summary of what is expected of both students and teachers to demonstrate through technology, according to NETS


NETS For Students:

• Demonstrate creative thinking using technology
• Work collaboratively with others using digital media
• Use digital tools for research
• Use digital tools to demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Use technology and digital media safely, ethically, and responsibly
• Demonstrate and understanding of systems and choose applications appropriately

NETS For Teachers:

• Facilitate students' demonstrating critical thinking using technology
• Design experiences and assessments for students to develop the above mentioned NETS for students skills
• Collaborate and model fluency and digital skills
• Promote etiquette, responsible behavior, and global awareness
• Remain a life-long learner, as technology continuously changes

In my kindergarten classroom, I am excited to begin applying these NETS standards. My students currently use Starfall.com and a software program our district subscribes to, Lexia. Therefore, my students have become familiar with the basic skills needed to navigate a computer (ex: opening a program, clicking on icons, closing programs, moving the mouse.) I have done a little research about digital storytelling and I am extremely excited to begin. I know that through this media, I will be able to bring my students to the next level of critical thinking, beyond their one-sentence stories. I will keep you updated as to our progress as we begin!

New Literacies

New Literacies are the skills which students now need to be successful, technology-savvy individuals and members of society. Under the heading, Teaching With the Internet: 
Venita Rodriguez's Eighth-Grade Team, there is a link to Starfall.com. At my class' level, Kindergarten, this is an outstanding resource. We use starfall.com on a daily basis. Our school has actually subscribed to morestarfall.com, which, as the name points out, has even more great age-appropriate games, songs, stories, etc. What I love most about Starfall is its ease to navigate. Many popular children's sites are easy to accidentally "x" out of, or is filled with advertisements or links to adult information. Starfall keeps the students engaged while teaching important Language Arts and Mathematics skills.

If anyone knows any other great Kindergarten-level sites, please let me know!

Google Docs

I am so excited about using Google Docs. I love the fact that I can bring my students to the computer lab and while they are logged on their individual computers writing their documents, I can periodically peek into any student's piece and give immediate feedback, or check for progress. I feel like this will bring conferencing to a whole new level. I also love the fact that it can be used as a way for group projects. Multiple students can work together on the same document instantly.


I was thinking about using Google Docs as I lay in bed last night and I was just wondering- Does every student in the class need their own gmail account in order to use it? I was wondering about the logistics of using it in the elementary classrooms. Does anyone know?

Testing 1,2,3...

This is my first blog experience! I have no idea what I'm doing.

About myself...
I am a Kindergarten teacher for Carrington School in Waterbury. This is my 4th year teaching kindergarten. I am excited about learning new ways to integrate technology for my little ones.