Make a Difference

Now that I've had a good cry while watching the Make A Difference video at http://www.makeadifferencemovie.com/, it reminds all of us what is really important in life---caring about others. This is a mantra that we should all remember since we picked this noble profession and have the power to affect a child's life....forever. Caring about the children in our class should always be our number 1 priority and if that happens, all of the learning that needs to be done will follow and fall into place.

Web Based Educational Resources

All I can say is, "WOW!" The amount of web based educational resources out there is phenomenal. There is absolutely NO reason why (except if there are no computers in class available) that teachers can not incorporate technology into EVERY lesson that they teach--the information is certainly available! I love Starfall.com for early learners and Unitedstreaming.com, Knowledge Box and PersuadeStar are interesting resources for children and would definitely hold the attention of older students. To really move forward, principals should hold teachers accountable for incorporating technology into at least 75% of their lesson plans, especially after learning how this generation of students learns differently than the rest of us do!

Inspiration

I downloaded a free trial of Inspiration at http://www.inspiration.com/Freetrial. I tried to navigate through the "help" or tutorial section, but I wasn't really getting the information that I needed to understand what Inspiration was or how to use it. However, once I watched the videos that Dr. Luongo posted "Using Inspiration" and "Inspiration Tutorial", I got a much better understanding of its function. As a matter of fact, in the business world, we used software like this during our brainstorming sessions. If memory serves me correctly, there were several applications that enabled us to do this. One was Visio, another was Microsoft Project. I think Inspiration is a great tool to use to teach children, especially since I can attest first hand that tools like this will be used in the workforce and their careers.

Blogging

After reviewing Weblogg-ed at http://weblogg-ed.com/and Edublog Web Ring, two points struck me. First, there is so much information out there, it's actually mind boggling and overwhelming! Second, there is a place in the virtual world for everybody! The EduBlog Web Ring site at http://www.ringsurf.com/ring/edublog/ has websites listed for every imaginable teacher topic, interest, etc. Through this website, I found www.teacherweb.com which would be really helpful in creating your own teacher website. Also, on Weblogg-ed, I enjoyed the blogs that people posted, particularly one about how Facebook could potentially help students in the classroom!

WebQuest Ahas

Well, I have to say that completing my WebQuest was time consuming, but really FUN! Here's some interesting info. that I learned.
1. Save all info. intermittently or the page will be lost!
2. From what I can assess, WebQuest does not have an audio function where you can send audio messages or read the pages to the users.
3. Uploading images is time consuming due to pixel constraints, but the Picnik website was really helpful in getting pictures resized!
4. Although it gives you the option of upload several images at once, it doesn't actually work.
5. I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and pride being "published"!

Books for Bringing Technology Into the Classroom

I was recently on the Jossey Bass website at http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-131497.html and found these new books that are aimed at helping teachers bring technology into their classrooms.


New and Notable Titles
PowerPoint for Teachers: Dynamic Presentations and Interactive Classroom Projects (Grades K-12) by Ellen Finkelstein, Pavel Samsonov
Teaching for Understanding with Technology by Martha Stone Wiske, Kristi Rennebohm Franz (With), Lisa Breit
Scaling Up Success: Lessons Learned from Technology-Based Educational Improvement by Chris Dede (Editor), James P. Honan (Editor), Laurence C. Peters (Editor), Ellen Condliffe Lagemann (Foreword by)
Hands-On Computer Activities for Teaching Math: Grades 3-8 by Beverly Burnley

WebQuest Formatting Tips

After searching around on the various websites that Dr. Luongo provided, I found one that gave really good tips about creating a visually appealling WebQuest. Some of the tips included the type of font that should be used, how sections should be spaced, etc. Check it out at:
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/finepoints/

Check out http://www.inspiringteachers.com/

WebQuest Tools

After reviewing all of the WebQuest tutorials and blogs that Dr. Luongo listed, I did not see any functionality to produce "audio" parts of a WebQuest. Admittedly, I did not search every single option yet and the functionality may in fact exist. Hopefully it does because I think that a WebQuest that provides audio would be extremely helpful when using it for kindergartners and early 1st graders. Of course, teachers can read the WebQuest pages to these young students, but I think part of WebQuest's charm is the fact that students go to the computer independently and build self confidence by being "big" because they can use a computer like their parents!

WebQuest

After reviewing all of the WebQuest links that Dr. Luongo has provided for class, I am excited to get started on building my WebQuest. I think that this tool is a fabulous and fun way for students to learn at a higher level, engage in team work, learn independence, and really be excited about an assignment!

Internet Safety Video Reviews

After watching the following videos, Internet Safety I , Internet Safety II (for young children)
and Know the Rules!, I have mixed reviews. I thought that Internet Safety II and Know the Rules were aimed towards young children. I thought that they delivered the message consistently and in an age appropriate manner. I thought that Internet Safety II was the better of the two videos. I liked that it drilled its message into the listener's brain by consistently and constantly outlining the appropriate steps to take in order to be safe on the Internet.

I was not as impressed with Internet Safety I. Although the message was sound and seemed to be aimed at older children, I could not get passed all of the typos. This is one of my pet peeves, but to be honest, and coming from a business background, if you want your message to be received well and to be taken seriously, grammatical errors should be non-existent. The typos just made me focus on the lack of education and/or the lack of conscientiousness of the author and not on the message. It did not come across as professional and as such I would not take it seriously, nor would I recommend the site to others.