VoiceThread as a Mindtool

For my mindtool, I decided to utilize VoiceThread. This mindtool is a wonderful Web 2.0 tool that allows students to upload and publish work, then get comments from peers. When I presented this mindtool to my group, they agreed that this is a very powerful tool that can be used to improve writing skills, fluency, and a host of other language skills. We discussed in depth the differences between different versions of VoiceThread (Ed. vs. Pro). It seems that both offer similar services. My group also responded well to the fact that I was incorporating parents involvement.

As I move forward with the implementation of this mindtool, I definitely want to look into the differences between the two versions of this program. I want to make sure that I am using this tool in the best way possible. I also want to take some of their suggestions as how to use VoiceThread in the future. I especially liked the idea of posting various pictures on a topic and having the students comment on my work.

I am excited to use this tool in the future, and to find different and creative ways in which to use VoiceThread.

Voicethread and Kidspiration as a Mindtool

Uploaded on authorSTREAM by Blondie8412

Education and the Economy

With our economy on the brink of disaster, I started to wonder what that meant for education. In a world of NCLB, schools are already feeling the pinch of being under funded. I ran across this article on Education Week, which spoke to the topic of the upcoming national budget for education. At this point, the status quo of funding has been extended until March, so that the next president can decide in the future what to do with the funding. If the economy continues to go downhill, the new administration won’t have much more to give to education. What happens to our schools if the budget does not change, especially if the rest of the economy is in shambles? If for years the national government can’t raise funding, how does that affect the use of technology and getting that to schools?
There is already such a disparity between schools in different areas in regards to their access to technology. I think more and more it is going to fall on the teachers to find creative and mostly inexpensive ways to create a global and technology rich classroom. This article from Edutopia, spoke about a project called Flat Classroom, created by Vicki Davis and Julie Lindsay (both of which have interesting blogs!). This is a great way to create a global community using Web 2.0 tools that are almost (if not all) free to use. Along with a lot of the tools that we have explored through the last online class, I think we can make it work. I believe that many teachers think you need highly sophisticated, expensive equipment in order to use technology. It is our job to spread the fact that you can do this on a tight budget. There is going to be more and more of a push to integrate technology-so it’s time to get creative!There are so many issues to think about with the current state of our economy. Let’s hope that we can work through this to make sure that our students don’t suffer. Just because we aren’t given everything we need, doesn’t mean we can’t still get it done.

A New Contract Option?-Response Blog #2

As I was perusing through the blogosphere, I happened across a blog that mentioned an educational reform that I just had to investigate further. This blog spoke to a proposed contract in the District of Columbia School District and its teacher’s union that forgoes the traditional seniority system and tenure and replaces it with a contract based on performance and credentials. If choosing the “red” tier, teachers would be opting for the traditional contract based on years of experience and education. The “green” tier would loose tenure and earn large bonuses. The only way they could regain tenure would be from approval from their building principal.

I did some more research, and here are a couple more good articles on the topic.

Can Michelle Rhee Save DC Schools?

Rhee's 'Plan B' Targets Teacher Quality

Chancellor Rhee Tackles Teacher Seniority

I can only imagine the division that is taking place between the teachers. I would think that the majority of older teachers would opt for the “red” tier, while more of the younger teachers would support the “green” tier. I wonder if many of the teachers that are Digital Natives would lean towards the “green” tier. It would be interesting to see the correlation.

But how would you support and quantify the pay raises in the “green” tier. The only real option would be to use standardized testing. When we talked about assessment,

I think this issue raises big questions about the way we look at the educational system. Do we want it to be a more corporate atmosphere, with bonuses based purely on student performance? Personally, I believe the strength of the educational system is that it is not at cut throat as the corporate world. I don’t know what would happen if teacher were pitched against each other for bonuses. I feel that this would take the focus away from students.

Now, Rhee is proposing to give cash incentives to students for such things as handing in homework and good grades. Who knows, this could be a great answer, especially in an urban environment. But overall, aren’t we supposed to be teaching, not because of the money, but because we love to teach. And aren’t we, as teachers, supposed to instill intrinsic motivation in our students. To me, these reforms go against both.

Action Plan Outline

Modeling with students

This concept map shows the goals for a lesson on creating a friendly letter in a 2nd grade classroom. For each step, the student is asked to take the idea of a friendly letter one step forward. The idea of student modeling is new to me-I always have goals for my students, but asking them to model their own thinking is still somewhat tricky to get my head around. I am normally the one doing the modeling. It will be interesting to see what the students take out of this lesson as compared to the way I have taught it in the past.

Technology and Me-The Ongoing Frustration-Response Blog #1

So, last Thursday was my elementary school's back-to-school night. This night is normally stressful enough, but schedule it on the 3rd day of school with a broken copier, and the stress level goes through the roof. Needless to say it was a pretty busy week.

I spent the weekend before putting together a nice PowerPoint presentation of some new things that were going to happen in the upcoming school year. My big push was going to be showing the parents some of the new technology that I would be teaching the students how to use. I picked a couple to show. I wanted to show an introduction to Voice Thread and explain to parents a project I wanted to use with it, in which they could comment on their student's project from home.

I also spoke to my parents about created a classroom Acceptable Use Policy that is at the level of my students, using the PB Wiki my group created in a previous class as a model. I really want my students to understand internet safety before we move into any of the new tools that I want to use.

I also wanted to show off our newly mounted LCD projector and Tablet PC's, which had been hooked up over the summer. Well, when I went to test my LCD projector, I found that the most basic of functions related to the installation was overlooked-power. How do you use an LCD projector without a power source you ask? Well, you don't. So here I was wanting to show all of this great technology, and I was upstream without a paddle.

This is the same experience I have been having with my district since I started taking classes in the LIDI program. Everytime I want to try something in my class, it fails. However, I did present this information (sans technology) and got a GREAT response from my parents. They were so excited to hear that I wanted to incorporate technology in a positive way. So, I am determined to carry out my goal for the year-despite the roadblocks that might be in my way.

The NETS-T and Me

Looking through the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers, each one hits on points that I want to develop in myself as an educator. Although I want to incorporate each in my teaching, I really want to focus on #2, Designing and Developing Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.

I have taken quite a few courses in Instructional Systems and Educational Technology, but I have yet to really tackle and implement a lot of what I have learned in the classroom. One of the big reasons that I have not implemented more Web 2.0 learning oppurtunites in my classroom is due to restrictions by my district and administration. I have to admit that once I hit those roadblocks I stopped trying. I was frustrated and turned off.

My goal from this class, and for this school year, is to find tools and ways to incorporate new technologies that fall within my district's guidelines. I like the idea of customizing learning activities to meet individual student needs. I want to create at least one really good learning experience that allows my students to experience the new Web 2.0

Beaver Creek Invention Convention Web Page

I decided to use Scrablog to create my Web 2.0 presentation for my web page project.



Here is the link to my project.
Beaver Creek Invention Convention

In the News

In the News-Increasing Fluency through Podcasting

Over the past month, I have been exposed to a multitude of new, exciting technologies, all with wonderful implications for both my students and myself. But where do I start? It is impossible, not to mention irresponsible, to implement all of these new teaching strategies at the same time. So, I had to make a decision. Before I made a choice though, I started to research everything…blogs, wikis, podcasts, and ended up finding a great article on podcasts in the classroom. I was convinced. Podcasts would be the start of my Web 2.0 journey.

Podcasts, according to Will Richardson, are “basically the creation and distribution of amateur radio (112).” What distinguishes a podcast from a simple recording is the distribution. One of the most powerful aspects of a podcast is that distribution, and in my mind, the ability to involve parents.

What really made me want to use podcasts in my classroom was an idea I found in an article posted on the website of the National Education Association. Podcast Powerhouse speaks to the effects of podcasts on reading fluency. The podcasts that Nancy Beebe produces with her students use reader’s theater texts at different levels. These podcasts give an authentic purpose for reading and allow students to continually practice. What Beebe found was that weaker readers weren’t embarrassed to practice and ask for help.

One part of the article that really hit me was the story of a reluctant reader, and the influence podcasting had on both him and his mother. The student was so proud of himself, and couldn’t wait until his mother listened to his podcast. The mother commented that podcasting “completely changed her son’s attitude about trying to become a better reader (Bafile).”
I also found a wonderful YouTube video from Techorati on fluency podcasts. This video talked about the time it saves teachers. Teachers don’t have to sit by the students every week as they read. It is also a great way to assess. The teacher can compare more than just a score-they can listen to podcasts from different parts of the school year to see how students are progressing.

Internet Miner-
I will start off by having my students listen to podcasts made by students. I love Radio Willow Web. Dr. Fritz introduced this site to me, and I think it is a great example of what even first grade students can accomplish. My students will create their podcasts through Audacity. This free program offers easy audio recording. It will require some practice and modeling for students to learn. The program will be downloaded onto each computer in my classroom and be available on the desktop. I will also download the LAME driver so that the podcasts can be converted to an .mp3 format. I also created an archive.org as a platform for the student podcasts, on a suggestion from Vicky Davis in her wonderful step-by-step guide to podcasting.

Integrator-
This will enhance my teaching, as well as my student’s learning, in a variety of ways. As stated in the article, I hope that it will increase my student’s reading fluency. Fluency is proven to have an impact on comprehension, which is so important.

Policy Advisor-
In order to make podcasts work in my classroom, I will need the support of both the parents and my principal. It is important to show both groups positive example of student podcasts to demonstrate their educational worth. Also, the use of podcasts will change the way I use the Internet in my classroom, as well as the way my students and parents use the internet at home. At the moment, I use the Internet in a very traditional sense. This will allow the online collaboration that is at the heart of the Web 2.0 movement. My parents and students will also use the Web 2.0 at home, which is wonderful.

Producer-
To facilitate the use of podcasts in my classroom, I need to follow a few steps with my students
Give student examples of podcasts made by students, like those at Radio Willow Web.
Introduce and teach students how to use Audacity and the audio recording software.
Select appropriate Reader’s Theater text for my students and create heterogeneous groups.
Give the students a Podcast rubric so that they are aware of the expectations of the product.
Guide the students during the first few podcast recordings until they able to record independently.
Help parents set up an RSS feed so that they can access their students’ podcast.

As my students create their podcasts, I hope that there is a difference in their reading and in their attitudes towards reading. I don’t want to use podcasts for the sake of using them. I want them to have a positive effect on my traditional classroom curriculum. There is such a push in the primary grades to increase reading fluency, and I feel that this will be a great way to do just that.


Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks: Corwin P, 2006.

Bafile, Cara. (2008). Podcast Powerhouse: In Front of the Class. Retrieved 6-9-2008 from http://www.nea.org/teachexperience/ifc080603.html

Implementing Technology-Blog #3

Over the past month, I have learned about new technologies and their uses in the classroom, and am very excited to use them in my own room. As I have sat down to actually figure out how to implement, however, I have gotten frustrated and overwhelmed. There are so many obstacles in the way, mainly the accessibility to those technologies. Despite these facts, I feel I am still committed to implementing, but, this got me thinking. I consider myself fairly technology savvy, and I am having issues with all of these new resources (hence the title of my blog!). What does this mean for those teachers who are adverse to technology? How do you go about getting them to use these wonderful tools?
My school is lucky. Each teacher was recently given a personal laptop pc and LCD projector. If you go around the building, I would say that many, if not most, are not using it to its full potential. We have it…why aren’t people using it? I searched online for some answers, and came across the Education Leadership Toolkit. I started to read through the toolkit, and it seemed that my district had followed all of the steps…so what went wrong.
In my opinion, the breakdown comes from professional development. Most of the development I have attended is purely dedicated to operating the equipment. You obviously need to know how to operate the technologies, but equally if not more importantly is giving practical applications for the resource in the classroom. Teachers aren’t allowed to actually explore and use the equipment.
Also, teachers are at much different levels in terms of technology. Using something like this sample needs assessment or this Perceived Educational Technology Needs Survey, would help identify the needs of the teachers. Then, the districts, buildings, grade levels can actually meet the needs of the teachers. It can be time consuming to do this, but I think worth it. We are told to teach our students at their level…why can’t we do the same for teachers?

Podcasting with Primary Students-Response Blog #2

As I was driving across Pennsylvania this memorial day weekend, I started to read ahead in Blogs, Wiki's and Podcasts by Will Richardson and got to the chapter on podcasts, and started to get excited about all the applications for the classroom. Richardson wrote about using Garage Band, iPods and other software to create podcasts-most of which were Mac programs.  I have a Mac at home, and love the tools they offer to create podcasts, but what do I do in my Mac-less classroom?  I thought about bringing my Mac and iPod to school, but the thought of having a class full of 7 year olds grabbing at the equipment makes me a bit uneasy, to say the least.

One Mac-less suggestion that Richardson had was Audacity, a free open source audio recording software.  I have used Audacity before, and think it would be entirely too complicated for a 1st grader to use on a regular basis.  I can see using that for much more involved projects, but not if I want to do a something quick.

One such project that I got very excited about was adapted from an idea I got from a podcast entitled Podcasting in the Classroom.  This podcast spoke of a college class that created unofficial audio tour for the Museum of Modern Art.  Next year I am teaching dinosaurs, and wanted to have a class dinosaur museum.  I thought it would be so cool to podcast a tour of our museum for parents.  If they do come to the classroom, they could walk around with a copy of this podcast just as you would at a real museum.  If they could not make it to the museum, they could still access the tour from home!

However, I wanted to find a different podcasting tool that would be easier to use on a regular basis.  I did find what looks like a much simpler way to quickly record a podcast and create a URL that others can access.  It took all of 5 minutes to record and publish a very simple podcast through Odeo Studio.  I can see myself using this for everyday fluency recording.  These podcasts could be saved for easy access later through a URL.  These could be listened to by the students, parents, as well as myself.  Listening to yourself read is such a great learning tool, and finding a way to easily share that with others really excites me.

This idea of using a podcast for fluency goes along with an idea I read about in an article by Wes Fryer.  The article, Classroom Audio Podcasting, was a great overview of the the benefits of podcasting.  One that I really liked was that it provided a window into the classroom.  

Overall, I think I can overcome the fact that I can't use a Mac to create a podcast with my students.  I wish I could have a classroom full of Macs, but you can't always have what you want-you just need to learn how to work with what you've got.

Response Blog #1-Blogs in the Primary Classroom

Yesterday, my class went on a field trip to the aquarium.  When I sat down on the bus, a very nice parent started to make small talk, and asked how my grad classes were going. (Since I am a young teacher, the parents feel they are entitled to this kind of information).  I responded, and briefly spoke about what my graduate degree was going to be (Leadership in Technology Integration).  Much to my surprise, this particular parents got very excited.  She asked what kinds of things I was learning about, and she just seemed amazed at the things that students could do.  Her response was "So, these guys could actually write in a blog?  That would be incredible!"

This comment got me thinking.  I had the same question to Dr. Fritz on the first day of class.  How would you use blogs and other sorts of technology in a primary classroom?  At that point, I was determined to figure it out.  That led me to do a little research on the internet (using good search techniques of course) to find out how other teachers are using blogs in their primary classrooms.

I found many examples of blogs.  Many teachers use them primarily as a tool for parent/teacher communication.

One blog that I was particularly impressed was that of Mrs. Ross, a 2nd grade teacher from Jacksonville, Florida.  This site has everything!!  It has all kinds of homework help-pretty much anything a parent would need in order to help their child.  It also gives very detailed updates pretty much everyday.  I only wish that I could keep a blog this up-to-date!

I also found a really great article from the NY times.  I only wish I had found it a few days earlier!  The article had one section about a 2nd grade class that blogged their reflections from a field trip.  That would have been the perfect way to transition from the trip back to the classroom!  My students start every Monday off by writing in their journals.  I would love to expand that into blogging.  I could easily get each blog RSS'ed to my Google Reader and go through each entry pretty quickly, instead of flipping through each child's journal.

I also found a great podcast from the Apple Learning Exchange.  This podcast was dedicated completely to teaching 2nd grade writing through blogs.  I think the aspect that caught my attention the most from the podcast was idea that it motivated the students to write.  They wanted to write more because they could see it in print.  Presenter Paul Gates said that his students would come into the room and the first thing they would ask is if they could work on their writing blogs.  It would be amazing to get that kind of response about writing!!

This podcast also spoke about the importance of getting administrative support, which is a big issue that I am stuck on at this point.  All message boards and social networking sites are blocked through our schools filter.  So now, not only do I have to figure out exactly how to incorporate all of this wonderful technology, but I have to tackle the administration for permission.  Who said integrating technology would be easy!?! 

RSS and Social Bookmarking

During tonight's class, we discussed the uses of RSS and Social Bookmarking. During this class and checking the few Internet sources that Dr. Fritz provided, I found a really great resource that I want to try out. I found it by subscribing to one blog on my RSS and then going from there. It didn't require going from one site to the next, entering each individual web address. I see the RSS and Google Reading becoming an everyday visit. I can see myself making it a part of my post email check routine. This will allow me to easily visit professional sites and keep me up to date on the most current educational technology issues.

When it comes to Social Bookmarking, I see myself easing into it and using it as a professional development tool. I am a technology mentor at my school, and helped the group that I mentor put websites onto the desktops at school. The problem with this was that they had to enter these resources onto each desktop. We could easily create a Social Bookmarking account through del.icio.us and add content that we find.

I am excited to start exploring these tools and finding ways to use them in my classroom.

First Class Reflection

Tonight was the first meeting of Internet in the Classroom. I am honestly very excited about this class. I am looking forward to finding some great, PRACTICAL ways to implement the new Web 2.0 technologies in my classroom. I have always considered myself a tech savvy person. I easily pick up on new things, and find it pretty easy to use myself. Reflecting a bit, however, I find that I am not doing nearly enough to implement it in my classroom, and don't think I am the tech wizard I once thought I was. I hope to regain some of that swagger from this course. My main issue at this point is finding ways to adapt these new technologies to my primary classroom. I just need help!!