What is Web 2.0?

What is web 2.0? I actually have no clue what web 2.0 is and I am really interested in learning more about them. I am excited to learn more about the other web 2.0 websites because I haven't even heard or used some of the other ones. I would have liked to have had picnic, because I am a huge photographer and picture lover, but I have never used this website. I have heard a lot about the website and all the things that your could do to photos but just have never had the opportunity to really get on and learn the website. Overall, I am excited to learn about the other website and share the knowledge that I have gained from using storybook and ways that I would use it in the classroom. I already have a few ideas that I have discussed, but I have some more time to really play around with the website and learn the best ways to use it in the classroom. I am glad that we get to present these to the class, like I said earlier, because I want to learn how to utilize the other websites and also teach other  future teachers about the Storybird website. It's all about getting out there and learning what the internet has to offer. You can learn a lot by looking at these websites and they can be great tools to use in the classroom. I am excited to learn and do more with the web 2.0 project.

Farewell TPTE...

Well I have to say that in the beginning I was truly worried and freaking out because I didn't know how to use or do things on a MAC computer but I am slowly but surely learning. I was able to learn a lot through my teacher and a lot of practice. I still don't consider myself computer savvy but I have definitely learned a lot through my expedition of this class. I have actually enjoyed myself along the way but there were a few times where I felt overwhelmed and became frustrated with the activities that we were doing. However, I really liked that we had time to work on things and it was also easier to stay and finish activities because I knew what was expected instead of leaving class and then trying to finish at home where I could have gotten more confused. I liked that the teacher was really helpful and gave her advise on a lot of the activities, it really helped me stay focus and finish things faster because I could always ask questions and receive immediate help. Most importantly I have learned useful techniques and resources that I will be able to utilize as a teacher through out my teaching career. I have learn how to create a website, the usefulness of portfolios, i learned how to create a movie, excel worksheet. an inspiration project, the uses of WebQuest, and the abundant amount of websites that are available to me. Looking back I have accomplished a lot in just a short period of time and I have very impressed with myself and this class. I no longer view this class as being too hard or difficult when your not computer savvy, I view it as a wonderful and intriguing class that I learned from and I'll be able to use what I have learned for years to come.

Websites

We have learned about the usefulness of websites and what all they have to offer. It was really interesting to create our own classroom website. https://sites.google.com/site/mrspickelsclassroom/home This is my website that I have created for my classroom. The daily schedule is my actual schedule that I am doing at Alcoa Elementary School during my internship. I thought it was really neat to incorporate this into my website. I think that most schools have websites and offer teachers to have their own so I was really excited to learn how to set a website up and also add the resources that I was able to use. Website are really interesting when you know how to access them, search, and use the materials that they offer. TPTE has taught me a lot of interesting uses for websites. We use the internet on a daily basis and sometime we don't realize how many websites we really access when we are checking emails, getting of facebook, and even blogging. I also discovered that there are a lot of FREE websites that Google offers. They have picasa for photos, blogger for blogging, gmail for email. and they even have google sites where people can create their own website for free. I was just amazed with all the things we were able to do with websites. They are fun, interactive and sometime very interesting!

Portfolio's and there many uses...

Portfolios are "organized collections of artifacts or individual, tangible products that verify and individual's professional growth" (p. 84) as stated in the book Preparing to use Technology: A Practical Guide to Curriculum Integration. There are several types of information that a portfolio can use for example, standards-based, working portfolios, assessment portfolios, and showcase information. Portfolios are kept in either print-based form or digital form. A print based form gives tangible artifacts that can be held where as digital allows for easy access on any available computer. Portfolios are very helpful for teachers and can be used in all types of curriculum. In my reading class that I just finished we actually had to do a literacy portfolio. It was really difficult because it was never explained and the teachers didn't seem like they understood what they were for, so I never received the full benefit of a portfolio but I know how to use them. I know hoe to develop and organize a portfolio and it would be good for teachers to create and use when searching for jobs. I have seen some portfolios that are created and used by other teachers from all their experience. It was really interesting.

Digital Storytelling: All About Me!

http://youtu.be/UrHsgPHCKkk

This was my first time ever making a video, and I have to say it was very difficult at the beginning but now I really have enjoyed working on it. I was really overwhelmed because I am from Georgia and therefore all my baby pictures we in Georgia but luckily I have tech savvy parents and my dad and mom already had a lot of pictures they scanned into the computer so all they had to do was send them to me and then I had a lot of pictures on my phone and computer so I just saved them to a thumb drive. I was very excited to do the all about me and I really think kids would love to learn how to do this. It is great for introducing kids and finding out who all has the same interests. I think most people in our class will add something about UT, because we are all attending UT. I was a little frustrated with adding in the music because I do not use itunes and all I could use was the ilife sound effects which were great but didn't flow exactly well. I could see younger students getting frustrated with this process however I think it would be great for older students to do and also for teachers to introduce themselves. Overall, I really enjoyed it and I am happy with the way it came out!

Addition Spreadsheet

This is my spread sheet project for first grade math. Students will be able to take this simple math practice and receive feedback on their answers. This was an interesting but also confusing project to complete. If the directions went in line with the things that need to be completed then it may have been easier. I started out by completing the compound activity and therefore it was easier for me to complete this task by changing the things that needed to be changed. It was quite simple once I understand where to put what. The directions were just a little confusing at some points while developing my own activity. Overall, I thought that once you developed the spreadsheet it was easy to use and understand, therefore, I could definitely do this again. This is a great thing for teachers to use when developing a quick quiz or practice for students on any type of curriculum or lesson that is being taught. I think it would be great to use as a pre-quiz and post-quiz to see what information students have gained when teaching on a certain topic. Once I learned how to utilize this, it was easy and I can see myself using this in the future!

Inspiration Project

I really enjoyed working on the Inspiration project. It is a web map/diagram making program that is really user friendly. I was able to use the same concept as my inquiry based worksheet which made it easier to do the project. I already had a great idea that went along with a first grade level standards on learning about habitats.I think that adding in pictures of the habitats and the animals that live in them really adapt to the visual learners. It's also a great way for students to get involved in the environment. Learning about habitats and the animals that live in them address even more issues about things that affect habitats like littering and pollution which could also be addressed during this lesson. I really think that diagrams and maps help captivate the essence of whats being taught in the lesson. It allows the students to address every aspect of the activity by looking at the pictures, reading the notes, and understanding that the arrows represent a relationship between the points that it goes to. This is really an easy tool to use as a teacher to engage students for basically anything in the curriculum. I really liked using this and felt that it was really understandable. I will use this as a teacher to create maps and diagrams to help integrate my lessons!

Mid-Course Check In

For my mid-course check in I feel like i am doing better and feeling about working with technology. I am still a little apprehensive on certain projects and activities that we have to complete because sometime they seem really difficult and I don't really understand. But when the teacher explains and shows us exactly how to do it or provides rubrics/ examples it is a little easier to understand and complete. I really believe that the rubrics and examples from previous classes really help because I am such a visual learner. therefore, seeing it really benefits me to understanding what exactly I need to do. I am getting more and more comfortable with working on an apple computer and figuring out how to use it is getting easier. I especially like when the teachers tells us how to do things with the command tab. I remember those shortcuts and it really helps when your working in the mac computer.
I am getting nervous about my internship because I start at Alcoa Elementary on Monday, July 18th but we are still in class so I am getting anxiety over what i'm going to do. I assume I will be driving back and forth until our class is over because i do not want to miss any classes and receive points off. I am dedicated to both my internship and this class so i will definitely make it work, but it'll be difficult when assignments and tests are due because the majority of my time will be at Alcoa. Overall, the class is getting better and I am not as scared anymore to try things but I am getting nervous about the last few weeks of the class due to my internship placement. I have really enjoyed the projects and activities that we have completed and I look forward to learning more on how to integrate technology into the classroom.