Overall Impact

I came into this class, having absolutely no idea how much I would learn and take with me at the end of four weeks! I knew that it would be a course that offered valuable information, but I couldn't have predicted how much I have learned in this short period of time! I have gained, not only the opportunity to see all that is available to me, but also the knowledge of making sure that students understand what I am teaching them! I have been introduced to several technologies that I had never even heard of, that would now be on a wishlist for having in my own classroom!
I am so excited to take everything that I learned in this four weeks, and apply it to the rest of my life!

Using ipods in the classroom

I have always thought that ipods and podcasts were a little on the side of intimidating.  After using the ipods and watching various podcasts today, I have really opened my eyes to the different uses for ipods in the classroom.

First, I think that having students record their voices as they read is a great idea!  The students can then listen to themselves, make any necessary connections, and re-read to practice their fluency.  

I also think that watching podcasts which are already available can be beneficial to students.  These could be great for students who struggle with a particular phonics problem.  The student can watch a podcast on that particular phonics instruction and that is a building block to helping that student become a more confident and fluent reader.

They would be great for literacy centers for students!  The students could record their voices and then listen, they could also watch podcasts and then complete assigned activities.

For upper-grades, I also thought that a great use of ipods would be to show half of the class content on a topic from one point of view, and the other class content from another point of view.  This would be a great set-up for a class debate/discussion.

In conclusion, numerous possibilities could come from using ipods and podcasts in a classroom.

TPACK Lesson

Creating a TPACK lesson and paying clear attention to all aspects was a great way to look at creating a lesson.  I paid extra close attention to all of the different possibilities that could be used.  I found myself wanting to add more constantly.  My final product was absolutely loaded and would take longer to present than one day.  I really feel like there were several lessons that were brought into that one particular lesson though.  

One problem that I did have was that I found myself saying that I would need at least one volunteer for some parts of my lesson.  With first graders, I just don't want to get to the point where there are multiple groups of students that are having difficulty using the technology and have to wait on me to get to all of them.  The way to prevent this, I know is to make sure that students have a good understanding of the use of all materials before using them.  

I do know, that I will definitely use TPACK lessons when I am teaching my own class!

Blogging in my own classroom

Being a first grade teacher, I didn't know about blogging in my classroom at first.  I have decided that there are various options that I do have, though.  

The main idea that I have thought about is having a classroom blog.  I would use this blog to keep parents informed about what is going on in the classroom.  A blog would allow this information to be both easily accessible and updated conveniently.  I have also contemplated holding a blog about certain units that we cover in the classroom.  We would brainstorm as a class then add the ideas to the blog/view the blog together.  These units may include specific quotes from students and what they learned, their views on the lessons/topics, etc. 

Blogging in the classroom is a great way to interact with your students, encourage higher-order thinking, and also help them to feel more comfortable with technology!

Resource Article #2 (Using Digital Images to Engage Young Learners)

An article that I found interesting was one titled, Using Digital Images to Engage Young Learners. The author mentioned," images stimulate curiosity and provide rich opportunities for language and literacy." This is a statement that I really agreed with! Children are curious about everything that is going on around them and digital images are a great way to capture this!
Giving students open-ended tasks that allow them to make their own choices help them to feel challenged but also shows them they are capable of succeeding!
The article focused a lot on the fact that digital images support language development, which is a major focus in the early elementary grades. Using a combination of technology options such as their own digital images, software such as Kid Pix, and their own voice recordings or text; students are given a variety of options for telling their stories.
Making class books is something that was covered in the article, and we also discussed in this course. These are such a wonderful way for students to use a variation of their skills! With class books, the students are also only in charge of one page and so they are able to put their creativity and skills to use and really make their small portion come to life! These books can also be saved and shown on a slide show as well as sent home at the end of the year! The use of technology also offers some students who wouldn't be able to participate normally, a chance to make something with the rest of their class!
Using digital images is allowing students to look at these pictures in a variety of ways and see the different types of meaning that may come from them. They are allowed to capture different perspectives they may not have seen. Walking tours where students are asked to capture images on a walk is a great way for students to show their creativity! They can take the images they took and put them into a slide show. It doesn't stop there, though! They can record their voices in the program and describe what they saw/really let their perspective be known. Students will then be allowed to revisit this experience and also share it with their parents/families! They are also allowed to revise/edit their material as they wish, which is a great option!
After reading this article, and taking this class, I am extremely excited about using digital images in my own classroom, even though I used to be a little bit nervous about using technology in an early elementary position. I have really opened my eyes to the fact that, using digital images to engage your learners is truly an authentic way to allow your students to experience story telling in a meaningful way!

Learning & Leading with Technology: Using Digital Images to Engage Young Learners. (2004) ISTE.http://www.shstech.org/SCOP/ using%20digital %20images%20to%20 engage% 20young %20learners.pdf

Digital Storytelling

I will admit, digital storytelling, using imovie is not my favorite project. I always seem to struggle in atleast one area and somehow allow myself to get frustrated. I do however need to say that this time using imovie was a much better experience than the last time I tried it. Once everything is put together, it really does turn out to be a brilliant way to tell a story. Children would absolutely love to be able to put their voice and music to pictures or video. Especially when you compare it to writing their story on a blank sheet of paper and drawing a picture to illustrate it. It is a challenge, and everytime you think you might be finished, you find another feature that will add more to your video.
Yesterday I attempted to get into garageband and create my own music for my video. I didn't know how to use the program properly and so it was only about 1 min. before I decided that music was overrated and my movie didn't necessarily need it! Today after being taught how to properly use the program, I was so excited to use it! I went from thinking that I completely had to make my own music from scratch (which I am really not capable of doing), to realizing that there were several selections of music to choose from! I'm very excited to see some of my classmate's videos when they are finished! I think there are a lot of great stories that I am excited to hear/see!

Keyboarding

When I think of keyboarding, I mainly remember class being long, but I also remember being happy to know how to type.  Once I could type, it seemed like my world opened up.  I was able to talk to my friends on AIM, e-mail, and type homework projects rather than write them out.  

As long as a school has access to several computers, I do think it's a great thing for a teacher to work on keyboarding.  I do, however understand that there is not a lot of extra time in the day to teach a keyboarding lesson.  I feel that keyboarding lessons would need to come in the initial part of the school year, ideally.  Once the students know the basic skills they need, they will just be allowed time for practice throughout the year.  One of the literacy centers could be made and so that students are able to practice their typing skills.  Aside from this, students can also be encouraged to  practice their keyboarding skills at home.  I have never thought about teaching my students their keyboarding skills at a young age, but it is a life skill that they are going to need to learn.  The earlier, the better.