Happy New Year (again)! Yes, I realize it has been two years since I last posted to this blog. If you care to know the reason, there are many. Lack of time, energy and motivation rank high. I did attend GaETC last year and I learned some really cool things. One huge difference last year was that I brought along a very special unregistered guest...I was about 7 months pregnant. After dragging my bag around, sticking to the sessions in Salons 1, 2, and 3, and strategically sitting near an exit door to get to the bathroom quickly, blogging about what I learned just did not cross my mind. I felt more like sharing tips for navigating a conference while pregnant.
Anyway, I'm baaaaack! While I may be slightly sleep deprived and suffering from occasional logistic fatigue that can come with being a family a five, I am ready to share what I learned during this year's conference. It was truly awesome! I could go on and on but, time is precious and fleeting. So, as soon as I can remember how to update the links on my blog, I am going to add links to some awesome resources. Stay tuned...I might manage to carve out enough time to write about a few of them ( - :
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Happy New Year!!
No, I am not certifiably crazy. Nor am I extremely late for 2009 or too early for 2010. The issue here is that I am working on a totally different calendar. This calendar will be known affectionately as the "New Stuff I Learned at GaETC Conference Year". That's right.....I'm baaaack!! Writing this blog straight from the conference.
Dear coworkers, I wish that we could all attend this conference. My musings will not do this experience any justice, however, I am going to do my best AGAIN this year to share what I have learned. So far, I have been learning more about free resources we can use to enhance (and dare I say "transform") learning. I will be adding those resources to the Teacher Tools list here on the blog and reviewing each over time.
I'm trainable and generally learn from my mistakes. I won't dwell on the past but let's just say that my enthusiasm last year did not exactly translate. So, this year, I will also offer 1:1 "tutoring" by request!! That's right, 1:1 by request. All you have to do is SIGN UP at least once. That's it. If you want to explore some of the tools beforehand, just click-and-go on the links listed in Teacher Tools. See you soon!
Dear coworkers, I wish that we could all attend this conference. My musings will not do this experience any justice, however, I am going to do my best AGAIN this year to share what I have learned. So far, I have been learning more about free resources we can use to enhance (and dare I say "transform") learning. I will be adding those resources to the Teacher Tools list here on the blog and reviewing each over time.
I'm trainable and generally learn from my mistakes. I won't dwell on the past but let's just say that my enthusiasm last year did not exactly translate. So, this year, I will also offer 1:1 "tutoring" by request!! That's right, 1:1 by request. All you have to do is SIGN UP at least once. That's it. If you want to explore some of the tools beforehand, just click-and-go on the links listed in Teacher Tools. See you soon!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Pick Up, Dust Off, And Get Going
Simply put, the Adobe Buzzword experiment was not successful. Perhaps it was the time of year. Approaching the holidays is probably not the best time to ask anyone to do anything foreign and "extra". After two attempts to circulate the "dream meal" document, even I ran out of time to keep asking but that doesn't mean that the train stopped there. So, I've moved on.....and, hopefully you'll learn about something that will spark your interest and inspire you to try something new!
So what's next? I've REALLY enjoyed using Imagination Cubed with the 2nd and 3rd grade classes. While the students have had a ball drawing, I've been able to assess their mousing skills. Specifically, I can see how much control they have when dragging the mouse. Clicking skills can also be observed. You can use this neat tool with students to create simple pictures and develop fine motor skills.
The 4th grade has thoroughly enjoyed working with Webspiration. Webspiration is the web-based version of Kidspiration (Inspiration). Students can use this program to create, organize, and explain ideas and information visually. This a great tool that has cross curricular applications. I've used it to show relationships between different types of computers. I have a lesson plan book that could be useful in gaining more perspective on how it could be applied with your existing curriculum.
Lastly, I have recently created a custom Google search engine that I'll be using with 4th grade to research planetary distances from the sun and create a chart using MS Excel. Custom search engines are very helpful when you want to create a safer search environment. The students can practice their searching skills without the distraction of completely irrelevant and inappropriate content. Further, the search engine was extremely simple to set up. This is a great addition to a research project, especially with younger students.
That's it for today! Stay tuned for more information about really great technology tools that we can use help enrich the learning experience at our school! I may even try testing Adobe Buzzword again (- :
So what's next? I've REALLY enjoyed using Imagination Cubed with the 2nd and 3rd grade classes. While the students have had a ball drawing, I've been able to assess their mousing skills. Specifically, I can see how much control they have when dragging the mouse. Clicking skills can also be observed. You can use this neat tool with students to create simple pictures and develop fine motor skills.
The 4th grade has thoroughly enjoyed working with Webspiration. Webspiration is the web-based version of Kidspiration (Inspiration). Students can use this program to create, organize, and explain ideas and information visually. This a great tool that has cross curricular applications. I've used it to show relationships between different types of computers. I have a lesson plan book that could be useful in gaining more perspective on how it could be applied with your existing curriculum.
Lastly, I have recently created a custom Google search engine that I'll be using with 4th grade to research planetary distances from the sun and create a chart using MS Excel. Custom search engines are very helpful when you want to create a safer search environment. The students can practice their searching skills without the distraction of completely irrelevant and inappropriate content. Further, the search engine was extremely simple to set up. This is a great addition to a research project, especially with younger students.
That's it for today! Stay tuned for more information about really great technology tools that we can use help enrich the learning experience at our school! I may even try testing Adobe Buzzword again (- :
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Adobe Buzzword - Your Dream Meal Experiment
Our first tool that I'm reviewing is Adobe Buzzword. All you need to get started is an email address.
The link will appear as Acrobat.com in the Teacher Tools list.
Buzzword is a web-based word processor. So what? Documents produced using Buzzword are not stored on your computer. They are stored on a secure server so that you can access your documents from any web connection. For those of us that have gotten home (or to work) eager to put the finishing (or starting) touches on a document and realized that we forgot to email it ourselves or to save it on a USB key/drive, this has obvious benefits! More importantly, we can use this application with students for collaborative writing. Students can create documents with text, graphics, and tables. But here's the really cool part....they can also edit and add comments at the same time! I will not pretend to know how that works but I am very excited to find out!
HOMEWORK:
Oh yes, I have the nerve to give you homework.
1. There will be an email circulating that is called "If You Could Have Your Dream". The email is basically a buzzword document that is being "shared" with you from another faculty member. Please open the email and follow the instructions.
WARNING: I do not know if this will work the way I've described in the email but I will know soon enough...stay tuned for possible revisions to the instructions.
I plan to start using this with 4th and 5th grade in the near future (you know, as soon as I know exactly how it works). I will keep you posted on any tips and tricks
The link will appear as Acrobat.com in the Teacher Tools list.
Buzzword is a web-based word processor. So what? Documents produced using Buzzword are not stored on your computer. They are stored on a secure server so that you can access your documents from any web connection. For those of us that have gotten home (or to work) eager to put the finishing (or starting) touches on a document and realized that we forgot to email it ourselves or to save it on a USB key/drive, this has obvious benefits! More importantly, we can use this application with students for collaborative writing. Students can create documents with text, graphics, and tables. But here's the really cool part....they can also edit and add comments at the same time! I will not pretend to know how that works but I am very excited to find out!
HOMEWORK:
Oh yes, I have the nerve to give you homework.
1. There will be an email circulating that is called "If You Could Have Your Dream". The email is basically a buzzword document that is being "shared" with you from another faculty member. Please open the email and follow the instructions.
WARNING: I do not know if this will work the way I've described in the email but I will know soon enough...stay tuned for possible revisions to the instructions.
I plan to start using this with 4th and 5th grade in the near future (you know, as soon as I know exactly how it works). I will keep you posted on any tips and tricks
WHAT?!?!
Last night, after cooking, serving, and refereeing dinner I had a moment to reflect on yesterday's faculty meeting presentation. Let's just say, I've done better. Admittedly, yesterday was one of those days where I often said, "I need to go back to bed and start all over again". So, in true "challenge day" fashion, my reflections caused a small panic. What did I say? Did it make sense? Well, today is a better day so I'm going to put a better foot forward. We reviewed a few links that appear on this blog so that I could show a few of the really cool and FREE Web 2.0 tools that teachers can use. It was quick...maybe too quick....and perhaps not so clear. As promised though, I am going to review each link to give you more of a snapshot before you dive in. I'm hoping that regardless of my impaired state yesterday, you will beat me to the punch and go exploring without a tour guide!
Before jumping to reviews, though, I wanted to reiterate a few things about yesterday's presentation. The goal was to emphasize the following points:
1. Technology is ever changing and at a very rapid pace
2. Since technology changes so rapidly, we are all in the "I don't know" boat
3. Our children can and do master technology faster than we do
4. Regardless of #'s 1-3, there are things we can do to leverage technology in the classroom that are FREE and easy.
Stay tuned for the first review. Oh yeah, it will appear before this post unless I figure out how to make this one first. Hmmmm, I love a challenge!
Before jumping to reviews, though, I wanted to reiterate a few things about yesterday's presentation. The goal was to emphasize the following points:
1. Technology is ever changing and at a very rapid pace
2. Since technology changes so rapidly, we are all in the "I don't know" boat
3. Our children can and do master technology faster than we do
4. Regardless of #'s 1-3, there are things we can do to leverage technology in the classroom that are FREE and easy.
Stay tuned for the first review. Oh yeah, it will appear before this post unless I figure out how to make this one first. Hmmmm, I love a challenge!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Welcome To Mrs. Young's Blog!
I've finally decided to dive into the "blogosphere"! My true motivation is to provide an online source of information for my fellow teachers. This blog is dedicated to you! Given the nature of blogging, however, if you are not one of coworkers, you are still welcomed to join us on our computer technology journey. Here I will be providing information about different computer technology tools, activities, and practices. I truly hope that this will become a valuable resource! There is a have lot of work to do but I'm told it won't take long! We'll see.....
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