Curriculum Project

Here is a link the curriculum project I am in the process of creating:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zUGCpAzbQUr5cjr48nBv29YmxUT4Wa0UUq5BgRT1uOg/edit?hl=en_US

Using Blogging in the Classroom

After the interactions I've had with blogging, I think it would be a great addition to my classroom! I incorporate the daily 5 into my classroom. I have some students who don't particularly enjoy write to self. I think that Blogging may be the answer for some of these students. I have 3 computers and 24 kids so I am going to need to figure out how to make this fair for everyone. I do think it would be a positive addition though! I think it would be a great way for my students to communicate with me on certain topics, and also not only read other students responses, but possibly even respond to them. I think this would provide a great challenge to students, and engage them in their writing!

50 States and Capitals

Introduction

My name is Shawna Maher and I am currently a 4th grade Teacher in Omaha, NE. I taught 1st grade for my first two years, and am enjoying seeing learners in a whole different light. I have learned a lot through this transition, and am sure it will continue!

The purpose for this blog is to explore/learn more about technology and utilizing it to the fullest in my classroom. I am taking a course through my master's program that is all about using the internet. I feel that even though I feel like I have a good grip on using the internet, there is most-likely a whole world of possibilities out there that I am completely unaware of!

I look forward to extending my knowledge and the benefits that it will have on the students in my classroom!

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!