Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling is a tool that you can use in the classroom for a variety of things. You can compile class photos from the school year in a story board and show it off to everyone at the end of the year. You can also use it as a teaching tool for a lesson, such as history. After playing with a story board application for a bit it seems that you can really do quite a bit with it and it is almost like an electronic book, how neat!

There are some great website online that you can find that are great resources for how to compile a digital storyboard if you are confused on how to do it. Some of these sites are:

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/storyboarding.html

http://www.umass.edu/wmwp/DigitalStorytelling/How%20to%20Create%20a%20digital%20story.htm

http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/starttofinish/storyboarding/

Blog Following 101 -

I think what I am learning most about following blogs based on education issues is that I have to take everything that I read with a grain of salt. With that said, I am completely frustrated reading the majority of the blogs that I have been following. The frustration does not stem from the bloggers themselves but rather the information that they are sharing.

The NCLB has and always will be a hot topic for educators until it has been addressed in a manner that is beneficial for everyone. When I say everyone I mean children, parents, educators, administrators, and political heads. I find it incredibly unfortunate that the future of children (and teachers!) has been left to the scores of standardized tests. One of the more recent blog postings that I read from the blogger that I follow posted an article about how the "Fed's" are now thinking about testing children in preschool. PRESCHOOL! Without getting too political on this topic, it has to do with Obama's, "Race to the Top" program. You can go to this link and read more specifics about it. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2011/07/_to_compete_states_must.html

What does this mean for me as a teacher in the future? I feel that it means as a teacher I will be teaching even LESS to the children and more AT the children. At what point is someone going to step in and say that enough is enough? The United States is a leader in many ways in this world, but I hate to say that I am not sure we are doing much good for our children by teaching to a test rather than truly educating our children and setting them up for the best possible future. After all, we always hear that teachers are "educating our future", but what does that mean for us as a society if all we are doing is racing to the top? Not to mention what that means for teachers who are more interested in claiming "prize" money rather than truly educating students.

While searching for global education communities I remembered the days in elementary school when we used to write to pen pals. I absolutely loved writing and receiving letters from someone in another state that I had never met and I can still remember where my pen pal was from. Lincoln, Nebraska! While I was reminiscing about old, old, old times I got to thinking how neat it would be to have an electronic version of penpals and that someone out there has had to have started something along these lines. I don't mean facebook, myspace, or twitter but something more involved and interactive. Sure enough, I came across a really great program.

Flat Classroom Project!

http://www.flatclassroomproject.net/index.html

This is a project that was created by two teachers, one in Georgia and one in Bangladesh! How neat is that?! These two teachers came together to create a innovative approach to learning by connection their two classrooms together using unique multimedia. The name of it alone reminded me of a book we once read as kids called Flat Stanley. It is a book about the adventures of a little boy who is completely flat and travels all over the world in an envelope. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do as it is a great literacy activity to do with your students and could be knitted into a blogging activity as well!

Here is a video that I made using my family photographs for each of my family members. This is a great tech tool to use in your classroom for children of all ages but may be better used in 3rd grade or higher as the kids will be more capable of playing around with all of the programs features.

Assistive Technology

http://www.ladacin.org/content/services/school_programs.asp

Assistive technology helps assist, adapt, or rehabilitate special tools for people who have disabilities. These tools can help people accomplish things they were not able to do formerly, such as a prosthetic leg or a hearing aid. In education, this may look slightly different. IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 defines assistive technology as any service that directly assists a child with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

By IDEA’s standards, this term includes but does not limit to: the evaluation of the needs of a child with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the child in the child’s customary environment. Purchasing, leasing, or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by children with disabilities. Training or technical assistance for professionals, employers, or other individuals who provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of the individual with a disability.

Some examples of assistive technology tools that can be used in the classroom include alternate keyboards that are modified with an overlay to make learning more direct for students with disabilities. All they need to do is press a key with a picture on it to see a word spelled on the computer screen. Another technology that is really awesome is called DynaMyte. This is a portable communications tool that allows students to communicate with others effectively by selecting a sequence of symbols on a touch pad in which the computer then speaks for them.

Being aware of this kind of technology and keeping up to date with it as much as possible is important even if you do not have a child with a disability in your classroom. It is a wonderful resource as a teacher to know about and to have a sound understanding in. I plan on staying aware of a variety of AT’s in order to be a more effective teacher and to help my students be as successful as possible. After all, every child has a special need.


University at Buffalo. (2000). Assistive Technology in the Classroom . In Introduction to AT. Retrieved 6/21/2011, from http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/ATBasics/Foundation/intro/index.php.

LADACIN Network . (2011). Special Education . In Educational Programs. Retrieved 6/21/2011, from http://www.ladacin.org/content/services/school_programs.asp

NCLD Editorial Staff. (2009). Section 504 and IDEA Comparison Chart. In LD.org. Retrieved 6/21/2011, from http://www.ncld.org/at-school/your-childs-rights/iep-aamp-504-plan/section-504-and-idea-comparison-chart.

The blogs I chose to follow all have a common theme, and that is educational resources. I had a hard time trying tie them together in a way that made sense to anyone that would read my posting. I think the reason I had a hard time coming up with a narrative to connect four blogs being followed is that they are all very different from one another and offer a variety of information. It is hard to find common threads amongst so much information other than a broad and general topic of educational resources. What I find great about this observation is that it shows that there is a large spectrum of educational information out there for educators disposal. It is a wonderful tool to be able to go online and immediately find blogs, youtube videos, wiki pages, you name it! All of these options and my classmates blogs have offered up a new way of thinking about how to teach and find resources for the classroom.

Tux Paint

This is a really great website for kiddos to use at home or even in the classroom. By downloading the software onto your computer, the kids have a free drawing board that they can decorate again and again. It has all sorts of features such as stamps, drawing, painting, and various texts. Even calligraphy! Another fun thing about this software is that with every thing you do, whether it is erasing something you drew, stamping a picture, or even changing the color you are using, a fun noise goes along with it! Who wouldn't love that?? You can also save your art that you have created or print it off and hang it on your fridge. I found it to be a nice relaxation tool when I stressed out from a long day. It was also a fun way of addressing technology homework!

Also, for my new technological toy that I played with this past week it was something I have always had but never used! My webcam! I have never really used my webcam, at least not for recording videos, so for our Glogster assignment I decided to create an audio recording for my poster. The video is below, just don't make fun of my twitchy eyes!!

I also learned through utilizing my webcam that it does all sorts of other fun things!

I can even be Obama!