Comments for Teaching Technology

Comment on T.E.L.L. Conference 2009 by Jeff Utecht

Jeff Utecht — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:06:46 +0000

Sounds like an amazing day of learning. Glad I could be apart of it. Good luck with the rest of your school year and remember to get uncomfortable once and awhile.

Comment on T.E.L.L. Conference 2009 by JenW

JenW — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:54:09 +0000

It was nice to meet you — I am just sorry that we did not have more time to talk.

I do thank you for your kind words — and do agree with you in
1. If we say “hands on lab” we need to have more hands on
2. We need different levels of learning

It was a hard audience to plan for…..it was an exciting audience to plan for because we had a lot of newbies but excited and ready to go newbies. So, we kept most of the topics at the lower level. In the registration area, perhaps next time we should put a LEVEL OF EXPECTATION and then book our session leaders from there.

I appreciated BIG TIME that Dennis stepped up to the plate and led two sessions. His second session (on google maps and google forms) is something that I am using every day now. However, (hint hint Dennis), I think this could be a 2 session class. I understand the basics now — but wish to pop those maps even more. Perhaps next year!?! (hint hint!)

And finally, I have to TRULY agree with “isn’t tech amazing” — it did not matter to me that Jeff’s slides were blurry, or at one time he sounded like Mickey Mouse, and sometimes he mouth did not move with his words……IT WAS WONDERFUL…..it was amazing……….and I am still in awe over the options that are available to us. And despite the tech issues, I hope the audience saw a glimpse of “what could happen in their classroom” and try it someday themselves.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Next time, we need more time to talk.

Jen

Comment on Year End Reflections #2: Monster Project by Vicky Sedgwick

Vicky Sedgwick — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:02:58 +0000

Thanks Ann & Anna. I ended up with the PowerPoint to VoiceThread by default. I didn’t want to limit the recording to one at a time and I thought this would be a good way to teach 3rd Grade how to add their voice to a PowerPoint presentation. So, I had them do the reflections in PowerPoint.

When my normal method of sharing a PowerPoint presentation wouldn’t work the way I envisioned, I had to go elsewhere. I do like how it came out actually and if I don’t purchase a teacher VoiceThread account for next year may use this method for turning other things in to VoiceThreads. One nice thing about getting the sound out of the PowerPoint is that you can use sound editing tools to make it louder if needed. I find that sometimes kids like to whisper into their microphones.

Anna, I have shared both my PowerPoint for the adjectives describing the monster and my Word description template on the wiki.

Comment on Year End Reflections #2: Monster Project by Anna Baralt

Anna Baralt — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:33:42 +0000

Glad the project went well for you. While the process is long, the results are wonderful. I hope you will join us for the project again next year. Also, if you have not already done so, could you add some of your lesson ideas to the wiki. Great idea with the VoiceThread.

Comment on Year End Reflections #2: Monster Project by Ann Oro

Ann Oro — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:35:18 +0000

This is a great reflection on your process. I am fascinated by the way you put together the student reflections starting in PowerPoint and ending in Voicethread. It’s something I want to remember for next year. I’m so glad the project worked well for you. Hopefully, next year a Skype call will work out for you.

Comment on Year End Reflections #1: Time Zone Experiences by Miss Bosch

Miss Bosch — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:23:37 +0000

Thanks for sharing your observations on this project. I’m always trying to evaluate and improve the lessons that I teach, and it was interesting to see your reflections on this project. It sounds like a project with lots of skills involved, so I’m sure your students learned a lot even if it wasn’t their favorite. Sometimes kids think computer lab is just “fun” and are surprised when they actually have to work!

Comment on Snow in California by Vicky Sedgwick

Vicky Sedgwick — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:57:07 +0000

I teach from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. Each grade level has it’s challenges. In some cases the other academic areas that I cover are based on the overall curriculum in the grade rather than a specific collaboration. At other times, I will have a teacher ask me to review a topic or assist with a technical aspect of something they are working on. I also get copies of the letters home to the parents each week from many of the teachers and will use these to plan lessons in the lab that reinforce concepts that have been learned in the classroom.

I do a lot of teaching of how to use the technology in the lab too but I try to tie this in with the curriculum where possible. For example, our 7th Grade Science has a unit on Genetics & Heredity. This year we participated in a collaborative project about Genetics in the lab and the 7th Grade used Excel to record and chart the data they and the other classes around the world collected. They then used word processing to write up their reflections of the project based on the analysis of the data.

Comment on Snow in California by gdudgeon

gdudgeon — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:05:47 +0000

I enjoyed reading your blog. I currently teach technology to about 400 7th graders (I can’t imagine teaching tech to kids younger than this)! I noticed you have a wide range of ages for your classes. In my classes, I primarily concentrate on the teaching the kids on how to use the technology, ie MS Office and various other applications. I noticed that some of your lessons cover math and other academic classes. I was curious to know if you colloborate with the other teachers on these lessons to enhance what the kids are learning in those classes?

Comment on Always Have a “Plan B” by Nina Peery

Nina Peery — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:28:18 +0000

Unbelievably, that has not happened this year. I made tech terms and definition cards for the students to use as a concentration game. Also pictures of computer parts and their names. Haven’t had to use them yet. I also have Switchzoo, Mathblaster, and the free version of bigbrainz timezattack loaded on the harddrive if the internet is not available.

Comment on Cyber Bullying by Beverly Smith

Beverly Smith — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:51:08 +0000

I have shown Adina’s Deck to my 7th and 8th grade students. They have been surprisingly quiet through all 3 episodes, identifying with the charming actors and actresses as the mysteries unfold. My students have benefited from the content and spoken openly about either being cyberbullied, knowing someone that has been, or admitting to participating in it at some level. Adina’s Deck is a smart educational series that uses very believable middle school aged characters that are easy for students to identify with. The students commented that these were fun movies to watch and weren’t boring as other films they’re required to see in school. I would highly recommend all 3 episodes! The content is relevant and engaging.