The Water Cycle!

In my technology class, I have had the opportunity to use the program Kidspiration. Before I started creating my concept web, I browsed through the sit a little. I found some great examples and ideas for teaching! This would be a great source to have students create and make interactive games and activities to help get the students excited, interested about whatever they are learning. I would definitely recommend this sit or its partner site, Inspiration, for older students. This is very easy to navigate for teachers, students, and parents. The only problem I encountered was attempting to use "notes" on my web. I am using a Mac laptop, and for some reason I could not get the "notes" to pop up on my web. However, I believe this could just be a problem with my computer and not the program.
I choose to create a basic concept web of The Water Cycles for fourth graders. I had a great time making it, Enjoy!

Pictures!

This past week in my technology class we have been learning all about digital images! I have learned, how to take them, format them, send them, post them and so much more! One thing I learned- screen captures. I wish I had known about screen captures before! Last year I took a Special Education class that required us to attach a classroom layout to a lesson plan and submit it digitally. This seemed easy. I was wrong. The found an amazing website to us! However, this website did not allow you to copy the and move the layout. The layout could only be transported by printing or using the same computer every time. If i knew about screen captures - this would have been a piece of cake!
How do you do this one might ask? Its quick and simple, just three key strokes!

On Macs, hold down command + shift + 3. That will give you the whole screen. But if you only want a certain section on the screen then replace the 3 and 4 and the cross hairs will be available for you to crop away!

"crap happens"

Technology is great! I would be lost if I didn't have my phone on me 24/7 or internet access virtually anywhere. Most of time I love technology, however when using technology, especially in the classroom, there are going to be complications and frustrations. When a problem arises, the best thing to do is stay calm- DONT FREAK OUT! Then you risk having your students freak out, and if you are planning to work with younger children, this will be chaos! Even when frustrations and problems arise with technology, there is always something to be learned! Of course, problems always seem to happen at the worst possible times. This is now the perfect time to have a mini-lesson, try and work through the problem together, as a class. A lot of times, the students tend to be more of an expert on technology then the teacher. This is a great way to keep the students engaged and continue learning.

In the past couple weeks, I have been working on a wiki with other members in the Deaf Education/Interpreting fields. There are so many different things that do into making a wiki, there is bound to complications. I remember starting out and having trouble formatting pictures, and attaching link to parts of the text. One thing I learned is never delete anything and have back files! I can't stress enough how important it is to back up all your work.

So, in the words of Amy, my technology teacher, "crap happens". This statement couldn't be closer to the truth. When a complication occurs, take a deep breath and think of the best solution to benefit everyone. Sometimes the solution will be as simple as clicking a few extra buttons, or changing the format. Other times, the solution will be more complicated and you will have the call in the experts. No matter what this situation - ALWAYS back up your work, you will be grateful later.

WebQuests!

Throughout my technology class I have had the experience of learning about WebQuests. Before taking this class, I had no idea what a WebQuest even was! WebQuests are a great way to get students involved in their education- awesome for student discovery learning! Technology is becoming so ingrained in our lives these days, this is the perfect solution to incorporate so many different computer skills into our education.

The best way I have found to understand WebQuests the best is to actually go through some examples yourself. www.questgarden.com is a great site to preview an many quests as you want, free of charge. I eventually want to teach Deaf/Special Education. A Webquest I found for highschool students was "American SL Idol". In this WebQuest, like others, students are provided with websites and information to aid in completing their "task". In this case, create a music video using American Sign Language.

After reviewing multiple WebQuests, I had the opportunity to create my own! I focused my Webquest on elementary level students. I have the student learning numbers 1-10, the different letter signs in the alphabet,and then moving into signing their own names as well as introducing themselves to others, and asking for other students names. Not only is this great for improving students' technology skills, but the teachers as well!