Monday, April 25, 2011

Week Eight


Online communication tools are essential for keeping up with people effectively and efficiently. Students and parents will forget to return phone calls or loose papers, but they will usually respond quickly when they receive an email or social network message. However, it is very important that we stay proactive in our online security.

In order to prevent malicious software teachers need to understand know the areas of concern for susceptibility. There are many types of computer viruses, Trojan horses, and computer worms. Just as in many areas of life, you are only as secure as your weakest link. Computer viruses are software programs that are designed to spread from one computer to another and interfere with your operations. Viruses can attack your data, email and even your hard disk. They are often spread through email attachments. It is very important that we intentionally check our email for suspicious attachments. Viruses can also spread through downloads on the internet, so checking your sources before downloading is also a good idea.

A Trojan horse looks like a legitimate download or software, yet it is very tricky. Trojan horses cause lots of annoying results. A Trojan horse will change things like your desktop picture or get more serious and delete files. They could also possibly compromise your personal information. Luckily, Trojan horses do not reproduce themselves.

            A computer worm is a sub-class of a virus.  They spread from computer to computer but must have human action in order to travel.  A worm can replicate itself into hundreds of copies.  It can be especially dangerous if it copies itself to everyone in your email address book.  A recent worm, called the Blaster Worm, was designed to enter your system and allow malicious users to control your computer from a remote location

          I believe the most important tool to use when dealing with internet security is your common sense.  If you see an email or download from someone you don’t know or a company you’ve never heard of, do some research first before opening it.  You should always be cautious when you’re online.  

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Week Seven

          This week in EDOL 533 I read about educational software.  There are many different types of educational software and they can be used for all age levels and curriculum areas.  One software I would like to highlight is Success Maker.  You can go to the Success Maker website by clicking here. 
          My school district uses Success Maker for Math practice.  There is also software available for Reading comprehension.  When students login to the software they have a beginning adaptive test to identify their strengths and weaknesses.  The objective of this software is to determine each student’s grade level and track their progress.  The individualized learning that Success Maker offers allows students to learn at their own pace.  The Math problems are interactive and fun for the students.  The software uses different learning style modes to accommodate all learners.  The software engages students and they want to succeed.  One of the best tools for teachers is that Success Maker collects data for each student.  This helps to identify students’’ abilities and to track their progress.  Having this information available to teachers can help them plan their lessons. 
          I have used this software while substitute teaching.  I took the kindergarten class to the computer lab and they each found their own computer to use.  The students must sign in to the software using their individual user name and password.  Since I didn’t know each child’s name I had to use my class roster to help them spell their last names.  This took about half the class time for me to get around to the majority of the students.  I’m sure that as the school year progressed the kindergarteners would get better at spelling their name and using the computer.  I would like if the software could allow a teacher computer to log the whole class in by assigning computers to students.  That would speed up the process immensely.
          The next time I use Success Maker I will be giving my students a note card with their username and password on it.  This will help make login quicker and easier.  Older students may not need this or only need it the first few times.  Younger students could use this for several weeks to help them learn their login. 
          I will definitely be using Success Maker in my classroom to help reinforce Math concepts to my elementary school students.  The software is engaging and fun for students while at the same time being a great progress tracking software for teachers. 

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Week Six

This week my Educational Technology class focused on WebQuests.  I had never heard of a WebQuest before this week.  I consider myself tech-savvy and my husband is a very tech-savvy teacher so I usually hear about what they're doing in his classroom.  I asked him if he knew about these and he said yes, but I don't think he uses them or I'd have heard about them before.  It was quite an adventure and I stayed up way too late one night to finish it and get it over with!  I believe this tool would be great for older students however I’m not sure how I like it for use with elementary school students.  It seems like younger students would need lots of help with using the technology and that I could teach the unit simpler without the WebQuest.  I may have a different attitude about it once I am in the classroom and can actually see it in process.
            I created a WebQuest for counting money.  I included a webpage that was very informative as a review, two worksheets to be completed and graded, and two games.  One game was online and the other was a memory game to be played with a partner.  Because I am not in the classroom I didn’t have lots of resources at my disposal so I looked online to find helpful worksheets and games.  I would like to add videos that would be effective for students.  My first WebQuest can be linked to below:

          I think my greatest challenge in creating a WebQuest was just learning a new website and tool.  I had to learn what pages to use and how to use them.  I was not happy with my layout or color scheme.  It was difficult to figure out which design to use and I had a hard time relating it to my subject.  I also had a hard time with the colors available.  I’d have like an easier way to choose a complimentary color scheme. 
          One challenge I had was to find good material to use for my process.  I ended up creating a worksheet myself using Microsoft Word.  I Googled for images of coins and then used DocStoc to upload it.  If I had resources of math textbooks for worksheets or if I could create pdf’s that would have made the WebQuest much easier.  For veteran teachers that have the unit resources they continually use it would be much simpler to compile all their information and create a WebQuest.  I hope to use WebQuests more in the future as I have my own classroom. 

Monday, April 4, 2011

Week Five

Online communication tools are a part of my everyday life.  I check my email, Facebook, Twitter and blogs almost daily.    After reviewing many different communication tools this week in class I have been very encouraged to put these into action when I have my own classroom.  I believe that these tools can make mine and my students’ lives easier.  By using online communication I hope to connect myself with students and I hope to give students a place to connect with each other. 
I was substitute teaching in my husband’s elementary school when a first grader told another student, “She’s on Facebook.”  I never expected that from a first grader!  The student’s older sister is a fifth grader in my husband’s class and she has her own Facebook account.  This is a perfect example of how young students are using online communication.  We as teachers need to use it with them and set guidelines for appropriate online behavior.  Later that night I received a friend request from the fifth grader.  I declined her request because my husband and I have decided not to include any of his students on our personal accounts.  Once the students are in middle or high school he will add them with caution as to whether there is any personal relationship with their family or if we know them through soccer or church. 
I would like to teach my future classroom how to use blogs to communicate online.  I believe that the good thing about blogging is that it allows students to write their complete thoughts and use sentence and paragraph structure.  With many online tools today there isn’t much thought to proofreading or grammar.  I would like to instill those traits into my student’s online publishing.  It is important for students to learn that once they hit send that comment is published and cannot be taken back. 
Many students are using computers at home without supervision.  As a teacher I believe that I have an obligation to teach my students appropriate online behavior in regards to the online tools we use in the classroom.  Hopefully these ideas will filter into their personal computer time as well. 
I will give my students topics for blogging very similar to the tasks in this class.  I believe that this gives them a jumping point to explore other ideas and to create their own posts on other subjects.  Having students read others’ blogs will also help foster communication and collaboration within my classroom.  Students can learn a lot from each other and they may be more willing to pay attention reading a blog rather than listening to it spoken in a classroom. 
I believe that the online communication tools available to us are changing the way education is taught.  I am excited for the many possibilities available to enlighten and teach my students about the online world. 

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Week Four

PowerPoint presentations are an essential tool for utilizing educational technology to its fullest.  The ease with which you can create a professional looking slide is the best attribute of PowerPoint.  The slides can be very simple or very complex, whichever you decide.  With simple clicks of your mouse the slide can go from black and white to colorful backgrounds and text, clip art, photos, and sound effects.  The possibilities are limitless. 
For my EDOL 533, Educational Technology, class we were assigned the task of creating a PowerPoint presentation and presenting it to a school-age child.  The presentation I presented was on Long Division.  Since I am not a classroom teacher I presented to a fifth grade student I go to church with.  The presentation showed the steps and strategies for solving long division problems without remainders. 
The thing I was most proud of in my PowerPoint presentation was the simplicity of it.  I believe that my biggest struggle in creating presentations in the past has been including too much information.  Since my target audience was fifth graders I knew that I needed to be very simplistic in my style and very organized. I didn’t want to distract them from the importance of the mathematical strategies. 
If I were to create the presentation again I might use more of the sound effects and clip art to enhance the presentation.  I like the simplicity of my first presentation since I was intending to introduce new material.  If I were using it on a later day or as a review I would like to make it more fun.  For example, after we had solved the problem as a class using Smart Board markers I would like to have applause as we move to the next slide.  I might also add a split screen challenge slide where two students could go to the front of the room and compete to solve the problem correctly the quickest.  There are so many possibilities that I could add and change the slides for each successive day in that unit. 
The student I presented to is a bright girl.  I know she is a good student and mature for her age.  She loved the presentation and thought it would be really neat if her teachers used PowerPoint presentations in class.  They currently do not.  She is familiar with them from church only.  I think that it is important for teachers to respond to technology and the things their students enjoy.  I would love to be able to present to an actual class to get a better feel for how a diverse group of students would respond.  Then I would know how to teach the material more effectively.  I am certain that I will be creating more PowerPoint presentations in the future as I become a classroom teacher. 

Monday, March 21, 2011

Week Three

Communication is a skill that is vital to the health of a parent-teacher relationship.  Parents want to be informed of activities, tests, field trips and events going on in their child’s classroom.  The easiest way for a teacher to let all the parents of her class know about these important things is through a class newsletter. 
I took an Introduction to Education class at my local community college last semester.  I wanted to begin working toward my teaching certificate but didn’t have the ability to start right away.  I figured that taking an introductory class would help me decide that education was indeed the right field for me.  I started that class and I began substitute teaching part-time.  I have absolutely loved being in the classroom.  There is never a boring day like I used to have in my accounting job.  The students are eager to learn and eager to please, for the most part. 
As a part of my class I was required to create a class newsletter for a fictitious classroom.  I worked hard on my newsletter and took great pride in creating that.  I dreamt of what I would want my future class to be like and the activities I would want to have for my students.  I used Microsoft Word to create the letter.  I will now look back at this newsletter and review it based on the things I’ve learned in my Educational Technology class. 
          The thing that I see as most visually appealing in this newsletter is the fact that it is in a newsletter format.  The titles are in large print and easy to read.  They are red to catch the parent’s attention.  All the work is neat and there is colorful clip art to add to the theme.  I believe the parents and students will appreciate the photos included.  That will be fun for parents to watch for their student on the newsletter. 
Looking back at my old newsletter I see different fonts that may be confusing for the reader.  I corrected that to an easy to read font and made all the fonts the same except for the spelling words.  This will make it easy to distinguish the spelling words quickly.  By making the fonts the same I am conveying the message that I want this newsletter to be neat and to the point. 
I streamlined this newsletter and made it easy to read for parents.  I also added the calendar to give parents a quick way see what is up next for the classroom.  This helps communicate quickly and straight forwardly with parents.  I believe the messages I want to convey are being conveyed. 

Here are the front and back pages of my newsletter:

Monday, March 14, 2011

Week Two

This website above is a lesson plan for students in grades 3-6.  This lesson incorporates Microsoft Excel spreadsheets into an elementary school lesson.  I was surprised at the prospect of using spreadsheets with elementary school students.  I did not learn to use Excel until I was in college.  Being a former accountant I always used large spreadsheets with complicated formulas.  I didn’t expect to use them in the classroom. 
This lesson plan shows students how to graph data quickly and easily.  They will graph the difference in their estimated and actual data.  A simple way to do this so that students understand is to use a bag of M&Ms.  The students are each given a Ziploc bag of candy and they will make an Excel chart of how many of each color they estimate to be in their bag.  The students can also learn how to change font colors to match their M&Ms.   
I hadn’t thought of it before but now I can even see how I could use Excel for fun math activities with younger grades like first or second grades.  If students were choosing their favorite sucker flavor I could create the spreadsheet and project it onto the Smart Board for the children to observe.  They would have a visual aid to follow and see the graph of favorite flavors.  Introducing children to concepts early is important for laying the groundwork for when they get older and need to apply the concept and create the spreadsheet and graph on their own.
If I were teaching students to alphabetize words I could do that very quickly with Excel’s Sort A to Z function.  I would list all the words randomly on my computer.  Using the Smart Board projection the students could see the words. There are then two options depending on time and level of student involvement.  The students could either go up to the board one at a time or write the correct order and then check with the Sort A to Z function or I could just give students time to write the words in correct order in a notebook.  After the students have had time to order the words I would simply select the group of words and click the function.  It would show the correct order instantly and the students could see the correct order. 
As an educator I will also use spreadsheets administratively.  I could use them to record students’ attendance, grades, to create address lists and to print labels.  Spreadsheets are easy to use to make quick lists and tables.  At the beginning of the year parents have lots of forms to sign and return to school.  By making a quick spreadsheet I can list my students vertically and the forms horizontally.  As students bring forms in I can quickly go across the forms to check off those completed. 
Another way to use spreadsheets is to create mailing labels.  By making a student/parent address spreadsheet I can quickly import those to Microsoft Word in order to print labels from any printer.  Most Avery labels from Wal-Mart or office supply stores have templates on Word that will print easily.  This is one way to make sending parent letters that much easier. 
From teaching to administrational uses Excel spreadsheets can be used in the classroom in so many ways.  It is important that educators find the uses that fit with their classroom curriculum and make their work more effective.