There is an App for that! Blog 8

While looking through my iPhone, looking at all the apps that I wanted to download, I was racking my brain for something great to write about with this being the last blog and I remembered and article I came across while doing research for my survival guide that had such an interesting idea attached to it. There is a school in Missouri that is using technology to connect schools to home by the use of a smart phone. The Rockwood School created an app for the iPhone and other phones that support the use of apps that will allow parents to have up to date information about current events and principal blogs (Weinrich, 2011). The app referred to as eBackpack allows parents to access everything related to their child's school and district with the simple push of a button instead of having to navigate through the website and hope to find the answer. I felt like this idea was genius! Not only are we finding ways to improve our student’s education through the use of technology but we are finding was to use technology with the parents as well. Imagine this situation; you are confused as to the time of your child's performance at school. Instead of calling the school to find out, you can check the app where all the important dates and times are posted right on the first page. No more navigating to find the proper page and hope the times are correct. By using an app, principals can send right to the minute information to the parents and be able to stay connected throughout the day and not monthly as many do. In order to best implement the use of eBackpack, the district provided courses to show the teachers how to use what was of interest to them and the simplicity of keeping it up to date. The feedback from parents has been positive, "Parents have commented that they prefer the timely information provided by the eBackpack, as opposed to the monthly information presented to them through newsletters." (Weinrich, 2011) There are going to be drawbacks with the implementation of new technology such as the availability of smartphones, cost of the app, and making sure teachers and principals hold up their end and keep the information current. Imagine if all schools had this type of access and the more involved parents could be with their child’s education. The best way to service kids is to involve the parents in the process. If the parents know exactly when their child's tests will be and other important dates, and have the ability to check this information as frequently as they wish, they can begin to assist their students in preparing for success. Ebackpack provides pictures, videos, and pdf files that teachers post on their sites along with other media to help with assignments and fundraisers. Teachers can create fun and interactive videos to go accompany their assignments to explain to parents exactly how they can help their child. Ebackpack is also being used in classrooms for students to keep track of their learning. This allows the students to see what they need to do and give them the independence to do just that. Check out the video below of how eBackpack can be used in the classroom. The uses of technology are endless and it is exciting to see what is coming next.

21stCenturyNB (Director). (2010). 21st Century Education Series: My EBackpack [Youtube].

Weinrich, K. (2011, November/December). District- created app improves the home-school connection. eSchool News, 14(10), 66-68. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/current-issue/

You Can Do That? The exciting things you can do with an Elmo projector (Blog 7)

When I began working in the classroom, I walked right into the use of Elmo projection machines to display images for my students. I was instantly able to project books in color and share a world of teaching with my students that many teachers have not been able to in the past using the older overhead machines. I remember sitting in class and making sure to choose a seat where I could still see over the giant projection machine along with my teachers making sure they signed up for a time to use the traveling cart. My teachers would have students’ tracking down the machines if they were not in the right place and the pens/markers used tended to dry out quickly. Once I began my student teaching, the school I started at used these old projectors and I remember the time and money used to create overheads and the frustration of trying to make them come out correctly. When I entered a different teaching setting during a science internship I was first exposed to an Elmo machine. The teacher was able to project on the board with anything she wanted! No more trying to make overheads and then having to locate the proper pens. The teacher could take the text book and place it under the camera and the students could see exactly what the teacher could see. This was amazing and it allowed for ease of teaching because at any point, the teacher could project a question or student work to share. I remember my first experience using this machine was leading a frog dissection for the seventh graders. It was amazing to be able to show the students what exactly they would be looking for as they were doing it and they could check and see by simply looking at the board if they were in the right spot or not! My how far technology has come since I was in school. While looking for news articles about the benefits of using this technology, I stumbled upon a resource much greater to me as an educator, Karina Clemmons, of the Orange County Public School System in Orlando, Florida, took the time to create a document for using the Elmo machine in different lessons and directions as to what is needed and the skills the students will be working on. These lessons are geared toward elementary students but can be adjusted for upper level students as well. She began compiling the list because of the “number of teachers who are not using their Elmo machines or are simply using them to project lecture notes,” (Clemmons). The lessons begin by sharing what the age level the lesson targets is, the materials, and content area before going into a step by step procedure for conducting the lessons. So much of technology goes unused because it is overwhelming to learn. These lessons spell out what to do, providing any teacher with the tools for success! After each lesson is described, she has included a photograph displaying what the lesson will look like. Karina states, “Many teachers are simply unaware of what a powerful tool an Elmo document camera can be for all students, whether advanced, regular, remedial, English Language Learners, or students with learning disabilities.” (Clemmons) Some of the simplest tasks can be completed using the Elmo machine and allow the students to interact and the teacher can reuse the same product multiple times. One way the Elmo machine can be used is to display a stop watch during a test letting the students know where the stand instead of distracting and pressuring students by calling out time left. Another way is to share stories by displaying the pages under the camera all students can see while you are reading giving them a chance to soak in details. You can use the Elmo to project maps for students to label on the white board, putting cards in order of sequence and then rearrange and many other activities. I have my students play games under the Elmo machine during demonstrations and during shared reading. If I want the students to share their work, they can sit in the teachers chair and share under the camera and are allowed the freedom they would be if they were sitting one on one at a table. There are many great benefits to using this technology and I hope more teachers find exciting ways to use it through this article and others like it out there.

Elmo machine in action!

Bibliography

Clemmons, K. (n.d.). Show Me Great Lessons. Retrieved 11 21, 2011, from ElmoUSA: http://www.elmousa.com/files/ShowMeGreatLessons!.pdf

Notezweivier (Director). (2009). Elmo [Youtube].

Don't Just Tell Me, Show Me: Jing Screen Capture Blog 6

While working on our survivor island webinars, and throughout this course, I have been looking for different ways to make screen captures into movies and power points. I wanted to find a program that I could not have to see myself talking, but the viewer of the video could see what the steps were by watching the video and actually see the mouse moving and where it was clicking. I know that I learn much better by being able to see what I am doing and not having to simply figure it out by following written directions. I came across a program known as Jing in my research. This program has many features that allow you to screen capture and make a video, or take still shots and then make a slide show of the pictures to show steps. I really enjoyed the ease of using this program and I feel that I could use this in my classroom with my students or pass the site along to a colleague to use with simple directions. According to the Jing website, teachers are finding that making a video to show the lesson really helps to save time for teachers who teach the same class multiple times a day. The time and effort put into the video ensures that every student is receiving the same information and that the teacher is not overworking and become tired of repetition. Shauna Hedgepeth, a seventh grade math teacher used Jing in her classroom to help motivate students to complete math problems. She said, "I showed Jing to my students and they instantly wanted to use it. Suddenly EVERY student wanted to work math problems on the board. Students come to the board and record themselves working on problems in front of the class." (TechSmith, 2001) Being able to create a product can help motivate students to engage in the lesson! She follows up with having students using Jing at home and then emailing their videos to her about the problems they were completing at home! How much fun would assignments like this be compared to homework where the students are solving the odd number problems and then turning them in. Making learning an experience helps students retain the information longer and allows them to apply their skills. Dawn Sadler used to travel all over training for her business, since she began using Jing, she can simply make the training video from one location and then send it to the accounts and they can share the video without her having to be present! (TechSmith, 2001)  This idea could save companies time and money for trainings and services that are necessary to performance of employees. Imagine if some of our professional development on technology and other topics had a Jing video to accompany the information being taught as a way for us to revisit later when we feel we need a refresher. Using Jing or other screen capture sites can help parents of the students to help the students with assignments. If a teacher creates a Jing video and then posts it to their website, the students can revisit and make sure they fully understand what they are doing in the comfort of their own home without having to make it seem like they do not understand while at school.  There are many benefits to using a screen capture program and they are simple to use after you have had time to play around and find all the features. There are also great how to videos available. Check out this video from YouTube the neat thing about it is that a student is narrating the whole video talking you through the steps. This just shows how advanced our students are in the use of technology and how much we can learn from them.

 

Bibliography

CompHelp1996 (Director). (2009). How to use Jing [Youtube].

TechSmith. (2001). Jing. Retrieved 11 10, 2011, from TechSmith: http://www.techsmith.com/jing-uses.html

Starboards increase Student Achievement in AYP (Blog 5)

We all enjoy using the starboard and having our students use it to interact with learning. I know my kindergarteners love to be able to use the "magic pen" during lessons! I have never seen my students as engaged as they are when we are using the starboard to create webs, match pictures and words, or using the flashlight to find words. These activities are simple to make and can be shared with other educators as well! Hitachi released an article about the benefits of using Starboards (and other interactive boards) in classrooms to increase engagement and AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) for schools. The newer Smartboards use a finger to interact instead of using the magic pen which makes them easier to use for students. They are able to write on the boards using their fingers instead of using a pen giving them an easier time writing and manipulating the material on the board instead of fiddling with the pen and its calibration.  A principal from a California school wanted to increase her AYP and engage students in their classrooms. Upon visiting another school, the principal found just the tool she needed in the smartboard.  Mr. Hill, a teacher at the visiting school stated, “We liked the Starboard for its durability, ease of use and, frankly, affordability." (Hitachi, 2011). If we could put these in every classroom and provide instruction for teachers on how to create lessons, and how to properly use this technology, we could engage our students better during lessons. According to the article, Hitachi provides free classes for teachers to learn the ins and outs of Starboards. (Hitachi, 2011)  Using these Starboards can increase our students’ independence during learning! I use my starboard as a center and allow my students to engage and check their own learning! It is exciting to see them engaging with the technology they are going to grow up with. I enjoy creating activities on the starboard because I find my students are more engaged during the lesson if there is a chance they will be able to use the pen and have a chance to manipulate pictures or words. I thoroughly enjoy being able to create lessons in any format and then being able to import them into starboard and have the ability to move the pictures that were once stationary. I know my district provides many courses for professional development to learn all the fun aspects of the starboard and I feel comfortable my students are learning more being able to engage with the starboard than if I was teaching on a simple white board.

Here is a video of a teacher using a Starboard in her classroom and the benefits she sees from using it!

Hitachi. (2011, March). Helping Increase Student Engagement and Meet AYP. Oceanside: Hitachi.

HitachiStarBoard (Director). (2011). See Starboard in Action at Moses Lake [Youtube].

 

Ipads for Kindergarteners

There have many times when I am using my iphone and ipad that I come across apps that I could use in my classroom. There are make handwriting apps that allow students to practice writing letters and will correct them as they are going! I think that being able to use the technology that is out there for our students in the classroom setting will be extremely valuable! Making parents aware of such programs could allow them to download the free apps (yes they are free) for the child to practice skills at home. There are games that work on letter sounds and writing, comprehension questions about stories the iphone reads to them, and memory games! I have been so amazed by the free programs available and I have been able to see first hand how they work! My nephew plays these games on this mother iphone and he has been showing how they work and he is only four. I read an article about a school district in Maine that is providing Ipads to their Kindergarteners. This particular article peaked my interest because this is the area where I completed my student teaching and to see such progress in technology in such a small area will hopefully show the benefits to use these measures in all schools. The schools in Auburn, Maine are providing half of the Kindergarten students with IPad 2's at the start of the school year in order to make a comparison to the rest of the student's who will recieve theirs in November (Toboni, 2011). The money provided to purchase the IPad's also covers insurance on the machines which eliminates the fear of students breaking the machines, but it would be the teacher's job to make sure their students know how and are hekl accountable for how they use the machines just as we do now with the computers and starboards. There are other states at are jumping on the IPad's for Kindergarteners as well including Tennessee and South Carloina. Critics of the programs are concerned that students will not be taught the basics before being exposed to the technology and therefore not be able to function in daily situations without it (Toboni, 2011). Another concern is the development of handwriting skills. This is the first year of this initiative and there are now results to show the success but I will continue to follow this because I think I could find success with my students who are struggling by providing them with a fun game to play on the IPad instead of basic drill for the skills they are lacking. Our young students are being exposed to the Iphones by their parents and if we can show them how to properly use the games and such they could be learning and not even know it! I am hoping the schools with find concrete data to backup their intervention and I will continue to use what technology I have (iPhone) to make my own grant request in the coming years! I found a video showing how the schools are going to be implementing the IPad's! This video shows a student showing teachers how to use the IPads and what he uses them for! Pretty exciting to see six year olds teaching adults about technology.

Bibliography

Toboni, G. (2011, 9 14). Apple IPad's For Kindergarten Students? Schools Try Them. Retrieved 10 20, 2011, from abc news: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/apple-ipad-learning-tool-kindergarten-maine-tennessee-south/story?id=14509290

Journal, S. (Director). (2011). IPads for Kindergarteners in Auburn [Youtube].

Cyberbullying: How can we Help?

I have seen many articles on the news about cyberbullying happening today. Students are using and abusing the internet to hurt others and making it extremely difficult to use internet and social networks in schools. Many people see cyberbullying as simply using the internet to hurt someone else one time, but it is not always so. According to Dr. Sameer Hinduja, cyberbullying by definition is " willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices" (Hinduja, 2010). Dr. Hinduja, along with her colleagues has created a website where parents and staff can find out more information regarding cyberbullying and webinars to help keep kids safe on the internet. Cyberbullying is a form of harassment between two or more people with the intent of one person to affect negatively the other emotionally and socially. I have seen many of my friends, having been at the beginning of the technology age, in high school and college who have been victims of negative commenting on their social network pages and by texts. This is something that is unecssary and really does effect ones self esteem. I think schools need to find ways to educate the youth to use these social media outlets for positive outlets instead of negative. Now I know that there will always be one or more people who want to go against everyone else, but if the majority of students follow the right way and we help to build their self-esteem, we could see less cases of cyberbullying. I remember when facebook was only accessable to students in college. Maybe there needs to be an age cap on social networking sites so students cannot access these webpages and harass others. I am not sure what we should do but I know unless we start thinking of something, we are going to see more and more cases of cyberbullying especially as this generation grows and has more access to technology. One of the hardest things, according to Dr. Hinduja, about cyberbullying is that the child does not typically know who the person is who is saying negative things about them (Hinduja, 2010). It makes it hard to talk to adults about being bullied when the child does not know the source from which it is coming. The problem with trying to stop cyberbullying is that many people do not see it as a growing threat in our youth and many people do not stand up and try to defend those who are being bullied. As teachers, we need to stand up for our students and make sure to note changed in the behavior of our students. No one else may ask them what is wrong but it is our job to be there and support them no matter what we have going on in our lives. If we take an active role in our students well being and make sure to talk with our students about the harms associated with cyberbullying, we may help save one child from falling victim to this harassment. The hardest part about bullying is making sure that students understand what it means to bully someone. I know students say they were just giving someone a hard time or just playing but not everyone thinks it is funny. It is important to teach the students what the difference is and encourage them to report any behavior that could fit into the bullying category without penalty: socially or by law.

Hinduja, S. &. (2010). Cyberbullying: Identification, Prevention, and Reponse. Retrieved 10 7, 2011, from www.cyberbullying.us/Cyberbullying_Identification_Prevention_Response_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Skype: Connecting Classrooms Across the World

I remember in elementary school, we have pen pals in our class that we could practice writing letters to and then "mail" the letters and recieve a response. This project was supposed to help us learn to communicate and be able to ask questions of our friends. When I began my undergrad for teaching, we had our students use skype to connect with their peers in other schools within the state of Maine. It was amazing to me to see how far "pen pals" could go! Skype has made it easy to connect students and teachers across the nation increasing the amount of resources we have access to. I think it would be exciting to have my students have peer pen pals across the world that they could talk with and relate to. This would help with their global awareness that has become the topic of many employers hiring the new work force. Teaching the students in school how to effectively use Skype would help them when they enter the job market by proving them with the tools to hold conference calls and interact through a screen with their collegues of potential clients. I know I use Skype in my personal life to talk with my parents (who live out of the country) and my friends and family in the North East. Allowing students to connect with others utilizing the technology we have could only benefit our students right? Although I could not see any negative reasons to not use Skype in the classroom, there are skeptics who are concerned about introducing the students to technology that could allow them to connect with the wrong people. I think if we teach our students how to use the tool correctly they will know how to handle situations that may arise. Not only would Skype be able to connect students to students and teachers to students, it could also be used as part of a lesson. I read an article about using Skype to bring the Authors of chidlrens books to the classrooms (Condron, 2011)! This was an amazing idea to me. Think about all the influential people our students could be exposed to with the simple use of a computer. The students would be able to formulate questions and ask the speaker in an environment where they may feel less intimated because the person is not right in from of them per say. Another suggestion they make is about having parent/teacher conferences via Skype (Condron, 2011). This could allow parents to not leave work and still have the face to face interaction with the teacher that a phone conference does not allow them to have. Below is a video using Skype to have an author talk with students! This is just another way we can use technology to better educate our students!

Artell, M. (2009, 3 19). Youtube. Retrieved 9 23, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI6jhq8kty0

Condron, A. (2011). News, Recommendations and Resources. Retrieved 9 23, 2011, from Teach Hub: http://www.teachhub.com/using-skype-classroom