SmartBoard

Tonight in class we played around with the SmartBoard. I was very excited to do this because that was the one particular topic I wanted to explore. In high school most of my classrooms used SmartBoards but did not use any of the cool features we learned about tonight. I really liked the secret features like dragging text other places to see new text and enlarging images to see hidden text. I was amazed that this was all done with a simple use of color. I also thought all the pen features were interesting and I liked all the Graphics the program supplies you with. I am excited to create my SmartBoard lesson because I think the SmartBoard is one of the best pieces of technology used in schools today.

webinar

Something I learned from watching the webinar was the video is 10% and what they do in the classroom is 90% of what matters. While I started creating my own lesson I spent hours looking for videos that were just right. However, as Todd pointed out, I should spend more time planning what the class will do in the classroom the following day more than the videos because that is what is most important. The videos are not meant for the students to master the material, they are more of just an introduction.

One question I have for Todd would be "Don't you think students would perform better on projects in class rather than surprise quizzes?" I personally do not agree that he doesn't grade his projects and instead gives 3-5 question pop quizzes. From experience and the observations I have completed, students never like or perform well on pop quizzes. It stresses them out and gives them negative feelings towards what they are learning. Personally, I would much rather grade my students on work they have interest in and work hard to complete rather than surprise them with unannounced quizzes every so often.

I watched Todd Nesloney's flipped classroom from September 17 (You can watch it here) and right off the back it gave me another reason of why I do not like the idea - his microphone wasn't picking up his voice and for the whole first five minutes there was constant sound difficulties. If this happened while he was making his own videos for his kids to watch at home and his class wasn't online live with him during that time to tell him they couldn't hear him, he may never realize no one can hear what he is saying and waste both his and the students' time creating and watching a useless video. Another reason I was totally opposed to the flipped classroom idea was because if a student did not watch the videos prior to class, they would be extremely behind and clueless during the class time activities. However, I did like Todd's idea of making those who did not watch the videos go to the back of the class and watch it while the rest of the class discussed their WSQs and when they moved on to the activities for the day, those who did not watch did not get to join and instead completed worksheets related to the task. This gives them the same conceptual practice just not in as fun of a way. This method opened me up to the idea of a flipped classroom a little more. In addition, I also agree that the flipped classroom and project based learning is more fun and promotes a deeper understanding, however, I do not think it will work for all grades. I think it will be too difficult for younger children and more of a hassle then it is worth and since I want to teach at the elementary level, I do not see myself using the flipped classroom concept too much, if any. Although the video did open my mind a little more than it was originally to the idea, I still do not think it is for me.

flipped classroom

In tonight's class, we discussed the controversial topic of the flipped classroom. A flipped classroom is where teachers supply their students with the lecture material online, such as videos, podcasts, Prezi, PowerPoints, etc., for students to look at overnight while at home. Then, the teacher takes class time to do engaging group activities on the material covered at home the night before. You can learn more about what a flipped classroom is from some cute little penguins here. I am very on the fence with this up and coming technique. I like the idea of the flipped classroom because it helps students who learn at different paces by allowing them to pause, stop, rewind and repeat the videos as many times as they need. It also helps students who were absent or even those who just zoned off for a little while during class. I also really like the concept because it gives the students more one-on-one time with the teacher as well as allows the teacher to ask higher-level questions. Lastly, I like it because I think the engaging group activities will keep the students interested much more than the normal lecture would. On the other hand, there are several reasons I am not so crazy about it. I feel as though the concept is too complicated for any students younger than junior high. Although kids are becoming experts on technology younger and younger, I feel as though it will become more of a parent's homework to log their children on the computer and assist them in completing the work. As for high school students, I feel like many do not do their homework as is and if they don't do their homework of watching the lecture, it will severely effect them and put them behind the next day. Another reason I am not sold on the idea is because the videos have to be short in order to not totally bore the students, but how much information are you really going to get across in such a short amount of time? Finally, another reason I do not like the flipped classroom is because I know personally I sometimes need things rephrased or need to ask questions immediately in order to totally understand which cannot happen with a pre-recorded video. All in all, I think the flipped classroom is an interesting new concept, however I am not sure it is for me. And I have a feeling I will really not like the flipped classroom after all the stress this lesson I am creating is giving me! -__-

prezi

This week in class we finally got to work with Prezi like we have all been so anxious to do. I think it is a very cool program but I also think you have to be careful in the way you use it. In some of the examples we watched in class, the constant movement from one thing to another made you a bit dizzy. I did really like the variety of layouts and transitions the program offers. It seems like a much fancier and classier power point. I don't think that Prezi should take place of the traditional power point, but it is definitely a nice change every once in awhile. I had fun creating my Prezi. I think it made it much easier since I chose a theme that had the layout, colors, transitions, affects, etc. already done for it. I am not done mine yet, but you can see what I have done here!

the end to gamification

FINALLY!! This week in class we finally finished the Tech-Teacher game and boy am I glad!! (sorry professor!) Although the game let us explore so many different apps and practice all the skills we have learned so far, the game was often frustrating on the iPad and sometimes a lot of work. We created a commercial with our Creative Commons notes and I had a lot of fun doing that. It was cool to let loose a bit and do something we haven't done before. I really enjoyed watching the rest of the class's commercials too. We also presented our Horizon Report websites. It was interesting to see the different things that they believe will be the new up and coming technologies for the classroom. My favorite was mobile learning. My group was assigned 3D printing and although it was cool and could be helpful, I don't really think it will become a big part of schools so I am interested in seeing its exposure in the future.

gamification pt 2

This week in class we continued with our Tech Teacher game. We had to do several different tasks on twitter which was very easy. We also had to choose one of the content curation sites we learned about and create a page with at least 10 items referring to the topic we chose. I decided to use Pinterest because I like it the best and I am the most familiar with it. Then we had to get in our groups and read the Horizon Report and create a Google Site for the section we were assigned. My group was assigned 3D printing which is interesting, however, we were getting a bit frustrated because it is not too big of a thing yet and it was hard to find outside information about it. Lastly, we had to read articles and watch videos about Creative Commons and we are going to use them next week in class to create a video. I am looking forward to learning how to make the video. I think videos are a great way to keep students interested, as long as they are short, sweet and to the point.

gamification

This week in class, we explored gamification. I have never heard of gamification until this class. However, I have been in classes where teachers integrate games, especially when I was in the younger grades. I think gamification is a great way to change it up for students, keep them interested, having fun, all while learning. The game we played in class was a bit frustrating playing on the iPads. I think it would of been better on a computer. My favorite task of the game so far was exploring the Brain Pop and Game Up games and choosing 5 to play and describe. I am interested to see what the rest of the game has entail for us!