Final Technology Project

My Project

Here is how you must get to my online storybook:

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  Go to the online website called Tikatok
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  Sign in as me. Here is the login information to my account.
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  Username: JaclynRWilliams
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  Password: tikatok
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  Then click on the title of my book A Little Birdie Told Me.
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  Sidenote: There are 2 ways to view an outsider's book. You may download the pdf file, which I could not upload to blogger, or you can just log into the account of the author. I would have all of my students email me a copy of their book in a pdf file. However, for this project, log into my account to view my book. Then you will be able to see all of the neat features that Tikatok has to offer.

Features of Technology Used and Learned

• Create a storybook online through the website Tikatok:
• I learned how to edit photos and upload them to the pages of the book.
• I learned how to maneuver the Tikatok website in order to create a book, by experimenting with my imagination, text, and media photos.
• I created my own style of a children's book using my own storyline and inspiration.
• Create a video through PhotoBooth and displayed it through Blogger:
• I used PhotoBooth on my mac to create a video describing my children's book.
• I learned to upload the video through Blogger, so that it could be viewed inside of a blogpost.

Issues encountered during the project and how I solved them

When I first started to create my book through Tikatok, it was not letting me add several features that I wanted to my storybook. It would not allow me to add my name as the author, and it would not allow me to upload pictures onto the pages of my book. I thought to myself, "Oh no. I thought that I had done this before, and I remember it had let me. This is not good." It kept telling me that I needed to sign up for a membership. I thought that a membership cost money per month, but when I finally tried, I remembered that a membership is free. This is why I liked the website so much. Students are able to create their own account for free. Then they can start their own studio of books that they created and place them in an online bookshelf on their account. That opens up many different ideas for projects in the classroom. Once I figured out how to sign up for a membership, which was very simple, I was able to add my name as the author and upload pictures to the pages of my book.
When I wanted upload the video to blogger, I knew from the start that I was going to have issues. This is one of the reasons that I chose this technology feature for my project. I wanted to learn how to get a video onto blogger in a blogpost. Since there is no visible link in my tool bar to click as I do to upload photos, I had to find other ways to go about uploading the video.

What the project means to me and how I will use it as a teacher

The inspiration of this project has been sitting and stirring inside of me for quite some time. I have been wanting to find an outlet for students to create a book of their own online. I see the many different ways that teachers have students create class books and how the students enjoy making them. Students love to create something that is published because it becomes a great accomplishment for them. So I have always thought that creating a book online would be a fun way for students to feel a sense of accomplishment while integrating technology.

Here's how it would work in the classroom. Students will create their own storybook through use of the website called TikaTok. This site provides templates to kick-start ideas for students on their book. This is a great way to integrate technology into the classroom. Rather than having the students write up a book on paper, with pencil and crayons, as we all have experienced, children will instead get the chance to develop their ideas in a much more challenging way. It can integrate all units of the curriculum; for example, you can have the students create a book on their favorite animal that was studied in the science unit. Students will have fun researching and getting creative with this assignment.
Then, the students will use Blogger to upload a video on the class blog describing the book that they created. This can include the process it took for the student to create the book, or it can be an explanation of the inspiration of the idea of the book. Students will need access to a video camera and can take time in class to upload the video and edit it before placing it on the class blog site for parents and fellow classmates to see.

Listed below are the NETS for students and teachers that relate to this project and how they can be incorporated in the classroom.

NETS (National Educational Technology Standards)

For teachers:

• Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments: Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS-S teachers.
• Response: This standard is important to me as a teacher because it is my job to provide many different strategies of learning in order to reach each and every individual student. In math, I must provide different problem-solving approaches that lead to the same solution because what works best for one student, may not work best for another student. The same goes in relationship to presentation through technology in learning. Through this project, I am able to customize and personalize learning activities to address students' diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. Students are able to work on the computer, using many different features and presentation skills through technology. I am also able to provide students with multiple forms of assessment because of the many different folds that this project offers. Students are working with photos, text, video, and imaginative content as they create their project. This gives me as the teacher many different ways to assess each project in order to secure correctness of learning achievement.
• Six ways to work on this standard specifically for this project:
• Students will use the SMART board to present their videos and online storybooks to the class. The will get practice with their speaking skills and be able to work with the SMARTBoard fluently in order to give a proper presentation.
• I will hand students a grading rubric of what is expected of them on this technology project, so that they can know what will be assessed. This will help me get practice with creating sound rubrics that are a good learning experience with technology.
• Students will be turning in their project to me online through blogger, rather than handing the project in on paper. This will give me practice with grading and assessing technology assignments through the online database of blogger.
• I will know and understand the SMART Board and Blogger in order to more quickly and more efficiently assess the students in my classroom.
• I will create and customize my own storybook and video to present on the SMART board as an example for students.
• I am providing different outlets for students to learn.

For Students:

• Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
• Response: This standard is important for the students because it will benefit them to have the ability to think outside of the box. Education cannot be handed to a student on a platter. Instead, a student must explore and create in order to obtain knowledge. With this project, students are using their own imaginations to write a storybook. The will be required to think outside of the box by coming up with content for their storybook. They will be the author and designer of their book, which encourages creative thinking. It is important for me as the teacher to encourage students to expand their knowledge through creative thinking, and then to incorporate a hands-on plan for them to produce a product of their thinking.
• Three ways to work on this standard specifically for this project:
• Students will create a storybook on Tikatok that they will present to the class. They will come up with their own storyline, style of text, and illustrations. This gets the students to use higher levels of thinking while using technology because they must produce a product from scratch through technological artistic ability. They will be able to explore Tikatok and construct their thoughts into a book. This will be an original work of the student's to demonstrate creative thinking, construction of knowledge, and the development of a process and product using technology.
• Students will create a video of their very own to display their hard work and creativity on the storybook that they made. The video will tell of how the student was inspired about the storyline and theme of the book and the process by which the student created the book.
• They will then upload the video and the book to the class blog as a post. This will help build skills with technology and understanding how it works. These will be private blogs, viewable only by parents of students in the class and teachers. This project will assess the students' final progress through the use of technology. It will challenge the students to think outside of the box to construct an original page of their own. This assignment will also demonstrate students' creative thinking, construction of knowledge, and the development of a process and product through the use of technology.

The Future of Technology in the Classroom

I watched and listened to a YouTube video called Classroom of the Future HD: What's New in Educational Tech. The video described what we can expect as teachers in terms of technology in our classrooms for the future.

The video talked about the possibility and likelihood of having several different screen projectors throughout the classroom. I can see how this would be a probable advancement in the classroom because teachers would be able to dock several different slides up at once. This would be very useful for having a larger classroom with more students. It could also be of great help during centers, when the students are divided into several groups to each perform a different task. I know...I thought the same thing..."Doesn't having several screens up in the classroom seem a bit over the top?" Maybe for now it does, but the future always brings advancements. Years ago, teachers probably thought that the SMART Board project idea was unneeded, and now today many teachers say that they do not know what they would do without it. Sometimes technology advancements may seem unreasonable, but they happen and we can always find ways to make the advancements useful for our teaching.

I am excited about the future and what it holds for the classroom. Our job as teachers will never become dull because newly arriving technologies will always keep us on our feet.

K12 Online Conference

Little Kids, Big Possibilities by Kelly Hines.

This conference session focused on web 2.0 tools that could be used in the classroom. A web 2.0 tool that was demonstrated in this session was Wordle, which our class became familiar with this semester. The web 2.0 tool that I thought was most interesting that Hines talked about was called WallWisher. Check it out! Here is what this tool is all about:

• It is an online word wall that lets students operate with sticky notes.
• These notes can be used for announcements, note taking, or projects.
• Its easy. There is no registration for students required. Logging in for young students tends to be a bit of a struggle, and this is not required on WallWisher.
• Its effective. You can upload multi media to the wall such as pictures, music, and video to multiple pages.
• Its intuitive. You can do more than just write. It has the post-it note functionality.
• WallWisher can be used to share, to sort fact and opinion, to create discussion, to summarize, and to sequence.
• You can maintain multiple walls for the same dashboard...much like on blogger.
  

Hines used an example of a class wall created by WallWisher that she used with her 4th graders. As they watched a Magic School Bus video that related to their science lesson, students took notes through WallWisher. They created different sticky notes for each animal, including facts on the animal. Once the video was over, students were able to reorganize their notes. This created powerful discussions on how each students sorted their notes and why. In science, you must be able to classify and reclassify information, and WallWisher gave the perfect outlet for students to do so.

Since the 1st video was only about 20 mintues, I decided to find another session to join. This was focused on the iPod Touch in the Classroom by Kern Kelley.

We all know that cell phones are not allowed in the classroom because they are a distraction to learning and often times a hazard if students were to ever refer to their cell phone during a test. A new feature of Apple came out called the ipod Touch. Shockingly, man elementary school students have one. It is their outlet to the web and ultimately is their connection to the outside world. Rather than limiting student's access by taking away their ipod Touch, why not find ways to use it in the classroom. I read in an article at the beginning of the semester that when children power down their devices (cell phones, iPods, etc.), they also power down their brains. Why not integrate their everyday technology into the classroom?

Kern Kelley proved the ways in which an iPod Touch could function as an important educational tool both inside and outside the classroom. Have you heard of netbooks? Netbooks serve as a notebook in the form of a laptop computer. Internet and email is accessible through these netbooks as well. There has been a huge increase in the purchase of netbooks this last year, and there seems to be a push for schools to put more machines into students hands. Since we are all trying to save money, I liked what Kelley had to say when he mentioned that "at a price point even lower than current netbooks, the iPod Touch is a great compliment to any classroom." While many schools still do not allow cell phones, an iPod Touch bridges that gap. The Wifi access can provide a tremendous opportunity for students and teachers to browse the web, type a response, record audio or calculate a problem. The form factor makes many classroom tasks manageable while the design of the device requires far less technical support than most laptops. After watching the session, I still am not 100% sold on letting children use their iPods in the classroom because other technologies, such as the calculator and SMART Board can be used to suffice the loss. However, being that I have a younger brother who owns an iPod Touch, I can see how it would be beneficial to find ways to integrate it into the lesson. I know that he would just be ecstatic if he was able to use his iPod Touch as a tool in class.

Reflection 12

WHAT?

Remember way back when….say about 6^th grade….when we all had to do a weekly current event? You would find a newspaper each Sunday and answer the questions Who? What? When? Where? How? And Why? Within the article that you chose. Well now, students are still doing current events, but they have added a higher standard to it. Current event assignments have advanced into technology.

SO WHAT?

Here is a description of a lesson plan that can be given from grades 6-12: Students listen to a news podcast and use a graphic organizer to record what they learn. The assignment is simple, yet a lot more high tech than before. Students now have the opportunity to stretch their limits beyond what I ever thought could happen.

NOW WHAT?

This gives students a chance to develop their listening skills. Often times students have a difficult time when they reach high school and college years because they do not have the training to listen to a lecture and know what to take down as notes. Listening to podcasts and recording information is a great way to prepare students for education in the future. What a great idea!

To check out the link where I found this teaching lesson, click here.

To find even more lesson plans that integrate technology, click here.

Reflection 11

WHAT?

Technology should be integrated into the classroom, rather than be used as a separate portion of teaching. The whole point of technology is to get students engaged in the content of what you are teaching, rather than having the technology be content itself.

SO WHAT?

So to find more tools in which to integrate technology, I took a look at some lesson plans that teachers made that include technology. Who said we had to learn on our own right? Internet research can be so helpful to the new teacher! While I was researching, I found a technology lesson called Creating a Multimedia Journey. Students take a journey through sound, exploring the sounds of the places they visit. They then research some of the places they visit and write a fictional account of their journey. All of this is done through a website called Sound Transmit. Check it out!

NOW WHAT?

This way, students are learning about geographical places, while integrating technology that makes the content exciting. Students will find themselves wanting to learn more when they see that learning can be so fun. Get creative with your ideas in teaching and be sure to integrate technology.

Reflection 10

WHAT?

I went to the website called Education World and looked up the Tech Lesson of the Week. The assignment is for students to research a historical figure and create a chat bot representing that figure. A chat bot is a simple web-based program that allows users to type in questions and get replies. So students are to test and check their knowledge of Abraham Lincoln by chatting with an AI (artificial intelligence) “chat bot." They then research another historical figure and use the information they discover to create their own chat bots.

SO WHAT?

What an interesting way for students to get an upclose and “personal” experience with the historical figure. I know for me as a student, history was always difficult for me. Everything seemed so far in the past, that it was hard for me to grasp any idea of history. This chat bot gives students an idea of what it would have been like to talk with Ab Lincoln and other historical figures.

NOW WHAT?

However, not only does it give the students a tangible way to understand the historical figures that seem so far off, it also requires the students to fully grasp the character of their own researched historical figure. The student must know enough about the figure’s character to create a chat bot from scratch. This seemed like a great tool to use during a history unit to get children excited about the past, while still looking toward the future.

Reflection 9

WHAT?

My roommate is graduating this year; she has been searching tirelessly for jobs and has had countless numbers of interviews. It seems that times are changing and technology is advancing in terms of job searching.

SO WHAT?

I noticed that every application she filled out has been online. Even her resume had to be either attached or typed in a provided box. It used to be that you went to the actual company to hand in your application and resume. Then, the system became a bit more advanced with the use of email. Some applicants would then attach their resume and application to an email for speedy processing.

NOW WHAT?

Now, application processes are highly advanced. You must be able to have access to a computer (which doesn’t seem too hard these days anymore…just hit up the local library). I love that you do not even have to go to the company to grab a resume. It is right there online at the company’s website for your convenience. I am interested to see what school districts expect for the application process.

Reflection 8

WHAT?

In Professor Mohan’s class, we took a look at the new document camera that is directly connected to the SMART Board. This is different from the document cameras that most classrooms have at Northwest University because the SMART Board document camera and the SMART Board are able to work together, rather than separately, which creates a speedier route for technology.

SO WHAT?

What a tool! I loved this SMART Board document camera. You could freeze images and make them directly into a page in SMART Board Notebook. Professor Mohan was able to screen shot all of the attendance sheets as SMART Board Notebook files. Now, all she had to do each class period was to pull up the attendance and have students sign in. You may be saying, well the first document camera’s we had can do a freeze frame. This is true (although we could never figure out how to actually get the image to freeze), but the feature that it lacks is saving the freeze frame to a file.

NOW WHAT?

The opportunities seem almost endless with this new SMART Board document camera. My point here today is to learn new technology as it is introduced to the classroom. Do not just sit back and say, “Well, I already have a document camera, so I don’t need to use this one.” Instead, take advantage of the new technologies that are offered to you. The SMART Board document camera was a perfect example of the reasons as to why we, as teachers, should utilize new systems of technology. We can’t get behind the times!

Reflection 7

WHAT?

I realized during one of the days in chapel, that almost every chapel speaker uses a PowerPoint. Some PowerPoint presentations have been very helpful to the understanding of the message. Many have helped me to engage in the sermon. However, some speakers rely too much on their PowerPoint presentations. Instead of teaching to the students of Northwest University, they teach to their podium and to their PowerPoint slides.

SO WHAT?

Because of this, students become disengaged to the message that the speaker has to bring. I see this happening in classrooms throughout the world. A lot of times, teachers do a great job of utilizing the technology offered in their classrooms. However, some teachers get so caught up in the technology that they forget to teach to the students.

NOW WHAT?

Remember that technology is a tool for teaching. Technology should not do the teaching. Imagine if the chapel speakers actually spoke instead of relied upon their PowerPoints. If their PowerPoints were used as a tool, rather than a crutch or dependence, how much more would the students be interested in what they have to say?

Comments on Classmates' Blogs

Bethany

Amy

Lauryn

Ashley

Kacie

Some of the blogs said that I posted a comment, but the comment was not showing. Two of the blog entries said that there was 1 comment, but when you clicked on the entry to view the comments, the blog said 0 comments added. In the case that it is not there for some reason... here are my comments:

Bethany P: Reflection 7
        This was a really great blog entry Bethany. Thats a great thing to think about. Its true, we get so excited about technologies, but the point of it loses it's purpose when it is used in overload. I guess that is great news for the teacher too because it is fewer sites that we have to update!

Amy A: Reflection 7
        Friends is my favorite tv series and I know exactly what episode you are talking about! That is so crazy to think that it was only 15 years ago when Chandler used a laptop like that. Wow... times change quickly. It really gets me thinking about the future and what is to come.

Lauryn D: Reflection 9
        Wow Lauryn. This was a really encouraging blog. Often times we think of the internet as either all negative and dangerous or as an academic research tool. While it is those two things, it is also very useful for spiritual growth. What a great reminder. In these ways, we can praise God for technology.

Ashley P: Reflection 7
        So I thought I would jump in on this discussion-like post. I wonder the same thing (real original, I know). I think a possible answer to this question is because of supply vs demand. The demand for the 3rd product would not be as high because schools have no need for it. They have already invested their money in the SMART Board or the ActivBoard. It would be such a waste to get rid of what they already bought to get a 3rd. So the demand would be very small for the 3rd product. Now, if the 3rd guy could figure out a solution before schools had bought the Activ or SMART Boards, then that would have worked...and then I can't answer the question :/ hmm..

Kacie S: Assignment 7
        Wow, what a great blog entry. This is so true, and that video was amazing. Without being able to spread awareness through technology it would be so much more difficult to reach people across the world for Jesus. Praise the Lord for technology!

Why get a Mac?

Some features of the Mac that I personally find to be more useful than a PC are these built in (not having to download) features:

• Recording through Garageband (The upgrade to this program is the most widely sought after recording studio equipment on the market.
• Iphoto let's me do so many neat things that organize my life and make it so simple. Iphoto creates tags on pictures that get put into separate categories for easy find: face of person, location, etc. Each time a new picture is uploaded to the computer, iphoto makes a prediction on the categorizing of the face automatically and is usually correct. And again, this is not something you have to download.
• Reliability-- I have had my computer for several years, and it has never received a virus or encountered death. It even survived a crash of being through across the room. If for some reason it hadn't, Apple provides 24/7 Mac Care for your computer.
• The features of organization are incredible. The layout of the dock on the desktop makes my life so much easier.
• Even down to simple things, my Mac covers me; like putting in a cd or checking email. For the cd, you do not have to push a button and wait for the disc tray to pull out and then wait to push it back in. Instead, the cd slides directly into the computer. No hassle.
• Rather than a File tab, all icons are placed on a dock (not on the desktop), which can be shown with the drag of a mouse. I love the organizational set up of this.
• Not to mention, its light weight! White! and Cute!... and for guys...yes, they have it in black and and other manly colors.
• Since the software on every Mac is created by the same company that makes the Mac itself, you get a completely integrated computer that’s as secure, stable, and powerful as it is elegant and easy to use.

STILL NOT SOLD?

Take a look at what Mac has to say.

A Mac has all the essentials built right in, including automatic protection from PC viruses, the latest wireless technology, advanced Intel chips, and a rock solid operating system that’s loaded with innovations.

Doesn't get PC viruses.

Designed with security in mind, Mac OS X isn’t plagued by constant attacks from PC viruses and malware. Likewise, it won’t slow you down with constant security alerts and sweeps. Every Mac is secure right out of the box, so you can safely go about your work — or play — without interruption.

Instantly wireless.

A Mac makes wireless easy. Networks automatically appear, and you can get on the Internet with a few clicks.

High performance.

With the latest Intel processors and other engineering leaps, a new Mac does all the things that only a Mac can do — at an astonishing speed.

A conversation piece.

Lots of computers come with built-in cameras these days. But only a Mac comes with iChat software that lets you have four-way video chats,¹ give presentations, and even share your screen with people all over the world.

Always up to date.

A Mac regularly checks for updates to Mac OS X and any included Apple software and automatically downloads them. So really, a Mac gets better with age.

Born ready.

Unlike other computers that require you to spend hours configuring devices, a Mac connects to your digital camera, wireless device, or external drive and just works. Really.

We’ll give you support.

Every Mac comes with award-winning support, but you can upgrade to the AppleCare Protection Plan for more peace of mind.

Why Mac?