DigITaL cAmERaS and coMIc LiFe FuN!

Today was a fun day in Instructional Technology! We got the opportunity to use digital cameras, to create a fun geometry definition book for students. We started out by taking pictures of geometric properties in natural life. I love this idea! Children are naturally interested in the world around them. It would be so interesting to learn about Math, a hard subject, using the world, instead of manufactured pictures in a text book.

We also got the chance to work with i-photo. This was a wonderful Program. I had never used it before, but it was so easily accessible. I had no trouble figuring it out. I would love to use this program in a future classroom. I feel as though the children could easily work the program, and be successful in uploading photos to it. (Of course, I would have to hope that my classroom includes Macs!) 

The last thing that we worked with today was called comic life. I LOVED this program! It was so fun to use, and easy as well. I believe that it was created this way, so even novice computer learners can use it. A lot of times, programs that are created for beginners are mostly informational, but this was way fun! It was so easy to create the geometry book using this program! I would love to use this program in my classroom, the children could create their own projects, or open it to access my creations.

I really want to use this method in my own future classroom! I loved the idea of making the geometry definition book, but I would also like to extend this use to other subjects. I would love to use this method with english and literacy. I think it would be way fun to allow my students to take a camera home for a weekend, and take pictures of their natural world. Once they have taken pictures, they can return the camera to school. Then, as a class wide project, the children will  load their photos on i-photo and write their own story using comic life. I believe this will be a meaningful experience for the children. Not only will it increase their language and literacy skills, but it will be a personal project, one that they will be able to remember.  

Fun with COmpUtEr TuTOrS

During this weeks lesson, I was able to participate in a language arts,  computer based tutoring system. The first one ART (Affable Reading Tutor),  is targeted toward 4th and 5th graders, to help them build comprehension, by questioning as they read. I liked this program for the most part. I think one of the most beneficial parts of the program is that children are able to work on it alone, at their own pace. They don't have to follow and keep up with a class. I also liked how the children were able to type their own answers into the program. I feel that this builds literacy, as well as comprehension, which is great!

However, there were some things that I didn't like about the program. I felt that the answering was a little inconsistent. At some points in the program, you could answer with pretty much anything, and the program didn't check to see if it was wrong or right. On other parts of the program, they wanted such specific answers, that sometimes substituting words like injury for injured was counted against you. 

If I were designing this program, I would have made the answering system a little more consistent. I would want my students to be able to use word substitutions, because I feel that this builds vocabulary. I would also have picked a different voice for the little girl. It seemed like her intonations were off. At some points when she was supposed to be expressing enthusiasm, her voice sounded sad. Since children are always learning, I would try to make her intonations accurate, so the children would learn accurately.  

All in all, I would use this program in my future classroom. I feel like this would be a great supplemental material, to use in conjunction with teacher instruction for comprehension. I really appreciated how the program focused on questioning, which is something I have noticed with my practicum children, that they have a harder time understanding.   

WeB qUEsT

Today, we got the opportunity to explore a great website entitled WebQuest. This site, or rather, model of learning was created in 1995 by Bernie Dodge. The philosophy of WebQuest is to provide an interactive learning experience for children that is inquiry based, with information obtained on the web. I found this very exciting. The children are able to explore and learn about things, that they would have otherwise been limited from. 

I was able to experience a WebQuest lesson first hand. I participated in a third grade lesson titled "The Show Must Go On." This lesson gives children a unique chance to fill an adult role, and recruit missing orchestra members for a last minute performance of "Peter and the Wolf." It was way entertaining, even for me, a 20 year old adult. 

I would absolutely use this learning method in my future classroom. Especially because a lot of times computer time is wasted in classroom, on meaningless games. I believe this will give my future students a fun and meaningful way to fill computer time. Because of the wide variety of activities, I feel that my students will find something to interest them. 

WeB sItE EvALuaTIon

Today in class we got the opportunity to become experts on websites and evaluate them. We used 4 different forms. My favorite form was created by Kathleen Schrock. Her form was very easy to understand and easy to use. My least favorite form was created by Terri Snethen. I thought that the link finder on ALTAVISTA, was pleasing, but the rest of the form was hard to use. It didn't ever even ask what the title of the website was! 

I wish that I had found some sort of "SECRET" about the websites using the form, but I didn't! They all seemed to be pretty legitimate and educational. However, I feel by using a form to evaluate these sites you can discover any hidden problems and ascertain the validity of websites.

I plan on using these forms in my future classroom. If I am going to use any website in my classroom, I have to make sure that the SAFETY of my students is my number one concern. Chances are, if they use it at school they will want to try it at home. Because of this, I will need to check the sites to make CERTAIN, that my students are accessing safe websites. I feel that this will make for a HAPPY teacher, students and parents!