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.