Thankful for Technology

"Think about the gratitude your feeling, not just the frustrations"

This is a much easier topic to tackle this week! I have learned so much about technology and the different ways to incorporate it into a classroom. Where do I even begin?
How about the beginning... I did not attend high school during a time where computers were part of an everyday classroom. I can't believe how far technology has come in the 20 years since I graduated high school. Fast forward to the present time, and practically everything I've learned over the last 11 or so weeks have been all new to me. I am first of all thankful I took Micro App 1 last spring. It was a huge help. I don't even know if I would have been able to do this class without it. That being said my biggest challenge has been the Web Quest, and yet it was also the most creative and fun thing I've done during this class. I think with some more practice, this will be one of the best lesson plans for my students. It's web based and interactive and there is so much you can do with it. The database lesson plan is an interesting idea. I still need to figure out how to make this "live" but the lesson plan itself is again web based. The PowerPoint presentation was a blast. This was right up my alley with being creative and combining my love of history and nature at its best. I was so frustrated trying to figure out how to upload it into "slide rocket" but I kept at it and was able to figure it out on my own. I was thrilled that I did it!
So how has technology enriched my life so far... well I will start with emails. This has helped me be able to stay in touch with my family and friends who are scattered across the United States. I have been able to take online classes. I am very thankful for that, otherwise it would have been impossible for me to pursue my degree and be a stay at home mom. Time wise site classes would have been too hard for me. The Internet itself contains so much information and is very easy to access. With some careful research I am able to find almost anything I'm searching for. I think technology for me as a teacher will only enhance the learning experience for my students. As I mentioned above the lesson plans; Web Quest, Database, PPP that we have done thus far will engage students in learning. I know my own children were very interested in these lesson plans. I loved it when I heard from them "cool mom" or "that's really good." Whether you agree or disagree with it, technology is here to stay and as an educator its a valuable tool to learn.

Vlogs

Vlogs are like a blog, but they are done in video format. One blog site I follow on a regular basis is Tammy's Recipes. The host, Tammy has in the past done some interesting vlogs on cooking and canning. They are I believe very helpful for people who are unfamiliar with certain cooking techniques and definitely help with canning and freezing. Here is one vlog Tammy has done on how to can tomatoes using a kettle/water bath. http://www.tammysrecipes.com/files/video/openkettlecanning_tomatos.wmv
I continued my search on vlogs and I could not believe how many there were to see! Some were interesting and some were just plain bad taste. I decided to "google" vlog and Vermont to see what I could come up with. I found Stuck In Vermont; http://www.youtube.com/user/StuckinVermont#p/u/0/VsxWXULL8Rk

I watched 4 of the vlogs that were posted by a woman named Eva Sollberger. What I watched I thought they would be very useful for students to learn what goes on in Vermont. Sollberger had vlogs on the Horror Fest in Burlington, Green Mountain Hounds in Charlotte, and MRF (Materials Recovery Facility) in Williston.
If you look hard enough you will be able to find some high quality informational vlogs that could be used in a classroom setting. But the key really is you must do some research.

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Do schools kill creatvity? I have a little bit of mixed feelings on this. I was one of those figity children that Ken Robinson discusses in the video. My experience throughout elementary and high school that I attended was focused on learning. I could say with confidence these schools lacked creativity. We had no art or music program available during elementary school. We concentrated on reading, writing, and math. Even in science as students we listened to the teacher. We never participated in anything hands on. Thank goodness for recess or it would have been unbearable for me. I need to move around, I need to sometimes just listen to music or draw. As a student now I will often just get up from my studies and walk out the door to go for a walk. Just to clear my mind. Today, I see my own children going through the school system now and I have to say I am a bit envious. I want to go back. They have art available for every grade. They paint, draw, sketch, and design. Music is offered to all students as well. They sing and are introduced to different instruments. Every student is given the opportunity to play an instrument in the 4th grade. For P.E. classes they often have dance class, gymnastics, games, rollerblading, and swimming. It continues in the high school as well. For students there are several different education opportunities for them that will meet their needs. One statement that really struck me that Ken Robinson said was "if your not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." I think that is a really powerful statement and it is one that I do see in my children as they have gotten older. My twin sons are in 5th grade now, and when they are doing homework they often second guess themselves when they are answering questions. They come to me for reassurance. Why? Because they are afraid of being wrong. I don't think that is what learning should be about. This video really had me thinking about how I as a teacher can bring creativity into my lessons. This class as well has really gotten my creative juices flowing again and can't wait to use what I've learned in my own classroom.

Bad PPP experience...

As a student I have only created one PPP for a class on Child Development. My first time out of the gate was a success and scored high marks from my professor! Bonus!
I have as a student sat through many very boring PPP. One in particular I remember on the Holocaust. The background image was bright pink in color and the text varied between blue and black. There was very little images to go along with the text. It was set up to compare and contrast World War II. Basically it was horrible. I thought the colors were inappropriate for the topic.
Another PPP I recall was when I was at a conference that I attended on agriculture. It was very informational. The speaker had music going along with the PPP, which wasn't distracting at all, but made it more enjoyable. There were many images on the PPP that were on the history of farming beginning in the early 1900's to the present. The speaker did a great job in keeping the information interesting and the dialogue was short. The PPP was about an hour in length. He paused often to ask question and to answer questions from the audience. Its probably the best PPP I have ever seen. One question I have is how long should a good PPP be? Another question I have is what makes a good topic choice?