Saturday, May 8, 2010

Education 422 Class Participation and Attendance

I have completed all assignments in this course, and participated by leaving weekly comments. In addition I have read and reflected on the digital tools we have discussed. When I started this course, I was neither comfortable or aware of the resources that were available via web. Technology has changed my life. There has been a total transformation in my ability to incorporate the items I have learned, and apply them to my future classroom. I now have a wide range of tools to use in the classroom, when developing lesson plans. Thank you for opening my eyes to tools I did not know existed. I truly enjoyed the virtual experience you have provided, and I am grateful to have been submerged and exposed to these resources. Thank You!

Copyright NETS-T #3,4,5



Incorporating Copyright and Internet Safety is an important part in teaching safe,legal and ethical use of digital information. Google documents allowed us to learn interactivly in a virtual world, participating in deciscusions and building a collaberative overview of computer safety.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Journal #7 Collaborative Idea Maps NETS-T #1,3,4

Journal #7 Classroom 2.0 –Collaborative Idea Maps
The technology tool that I chose was collaborative idea maps, which is a digital tool that allows creation of flowcharts and “Brain Storming”. This organizational tool provides a resource for teachers, and students to express and personalize information. A collaborative map can illustrate main ideas and other sub sections that support the overall theme. The following are two threads that I followed;
Collaborative Idea Maps: Success with bubbl @ http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:7014
This idea map encouraged students to participate and reflect on events or research topics in a creative way. The post was introduced by a teacher who had his students complete assignment in a virtual world. An example of his tool was called, “via virtual word web”, which was a collaborative tool for students to continue working on at home. This digital resource uses a series of bubbles that carry information, and when deleted, the bubbles explode. The students are engaged in this type of discussion when the tools are interactive. This collaborative idea map also allows participants to add friends and leading to an interactive community.
Collaborative Idea Maps: Web 2.0 for Storyboarding @ http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:7014
This thread was introducing how to use a digital storyboard that included collaboration between students. The site illustrated the benefits of meeting the needs of all learners by introduction to a variety of resources. Some examples of different storyboarding sites other teachers are using include: inspiration and a free program available on line is webspiration, http://www.mywebspiration.com/ . Another reference was to Directors board, which is another idea map that was established to insert pictures, and other data/information. Most of us are familiar with PowerPoint, a tool to visually represent information, and was introduced to another tool Prezi. This program is designed to have main ideas and move from point to point along the path of data. Lastly one tool that I was not familiar with was a comic generator called Pixton.com, which actually incorporated the storyline into small clips.

Wiki Page NETS-T #1,2,4,5



This digital tool addresses the diverse needs of all learners by using a variety of strategies to provide access to appropriate resources. An effective tool is critical in developing a technology-rich learning environment.

Newsletter NETS-T #1,3



The Newsletter is a tool used to promote, support and communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to parents, students, and peers using a variety of digital media.

Self-Portrait

Inspiration NETS-T #1,2,3



Inspiration is an amazing organizational tool used to design and develop digital-age learning. This program allows students to visually organize information, and actively participate in pursuing their personal curiosities.