Instructional Unit

This was the least fun of all of our assignments. However, it may be a good tool to see how much we have learned. I think the presentations will be lots more fun then getting ready for them. I am ready for Christmas break just because I am ready for a break from doing homework. Now I sound like my students.

Voice Thread Review

I liked seeing all of the different scenes from Alaska. When the state is so large and so hard to get to so that we normally would miss a lot, it is nice to get a short view from our classmates. I liked the one from http://ed329melissa.blogspot.com/2008/11/voice-thread.html that shows Kodiak. It makes me really want to go visit there. Perhaps we will move there after I finish getting my teaching degree and be teachers there! I also enjoyed the pictures from http://ed329becca.blogspot.com/2008/11/walking-my-dogs-in-valdez-ak.html about Valdez. I have been there before so liked seeing some pictures when it wasn't raining. I really should upload a picture to show me because as an iron, I feel like I am playing Monopoly! I even saw the roadster as one of my classmates. I also enjoyed the fact that we could leave comments on each other's presentations. Way more fun than always typing.

Voice Thread Project

This was not a difficult project but it would be nice to use different pictures for the next project. I now feel like am on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce and doing a commercial for our village.
Any age group could easily learn to use this software. Most of my three year-old preschoolers are using X-Box or Nintendo. I just might try scanning pictures that they have done and then let them tell their own stories.

Panraven Storybook

It is a lot of fun to make a book in Panraven. I think that this is a format that only the older students will be able to use. It would be a good way to introduce them to illustrating their own stories. They could then share them with the younger students.

Flickr Slide Show

I love living in Levelock and am happy to share it with you!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

This would be good for any type of project that you need to do instruction on or that you want the student to explain something to you. I think this would be great for the high school students to use to master their technology standards (we use standards based system). They can share their pictures from sporting events and the money making projects we do as a student government. This would be a good way to share the trip we are going to take in April as the entire high school class. Most of the families have internet, and the school could share and even share with extended families outside of our village. A student could do a report on something and then they could share it with their entire class by putting it in Flickr.

I was really comfortable with this project. It was easy and went very fast. I LOVE THIS CLASS!

We have so many friends everywhere else that this would make a good way to share our travels with all of them and make it easy for them all to see any or all of the pictures. It is quicker to view than trying to look at a lot of pictures in an email.

Comic Life Poster

I like the idea of using the posters as a way to "make" weekly memories of your classroom. I don't work with the students older than preschool except for reading but it would work well just to have them make a poster about each book as we get done reading it. In one reading group we learn about real animals or insects and then we read stories about the same animals but in a make believe setting. The students could really use their imaginations for those situations.

In my preschool room I take pictures all the time so I could make legal size posters and put them up and then give them out to the families at the end of the school year. I would still have the electronic folder and could get them printed during the summer and bring them back to line the hallways or to decorate my classroom.

Our highschool students compile, print and bind our yearbook right here at the school (keeps costs down) and I think pages like these could make for an interesting change in the setup of some pages. Especially to show sports or activities that we have had at the school.

I really enjoyed making the poster. It took longer than would be normal because I had trouble deciding on the layout and the pictures to use. I worked too hard to make it 'just' right. My cooperating teachers says we should get it made into post cards!

Digital Video

This takes a bit of time to create but it is much nicer if you really want to show something. I do not think it is as easily used for a teaching tool as PowerPoint. I don't think that I would use this in the classroom as a normal teaching tool but it might be great for teaching a hands-on project. I liked it and think it would be great for showing the rest of the school pictures from our trip (our high school is going to California for 10 days) this next spring.

Teaching

Teaching MUST be one of the most rewarding careers there is and at the same time it must be one of the most frustrating and heartbreaking. Of course, getting there is just a pain in the gluteus maximus!
I think that my favorite time of the day is at 11:00am. Preschool is over, and don't get me wrong, I think they are cute and a couple of them are making visible progress every day. But I have come to realize, that is not where my heart is. At 11:00am I get to start my first reading group. These small groups are the thing that I really enjoy. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I am doing reading with them which is one of my life's joys.
I start with a group that has a third grader, a fifth grader, a sixth grader and a seventh grader. They are all reading at a third grade level! That is sad for the older ones but truly exciting for the third grader. What an opportunity for this student to interact with the older students in a classroom setting where he can truly understand what they are doing and discussing. The really sad part is that the sixth grader is the lowest in the group! What I like to see at this school is that we will not let them sit in the back of the classroom and vegetate. They are required to participate and to really try. In the small group setting that is much easy to monitor.
My second group has a sixth grader, a seventh grader, an eighth grader and a ninth grader. Unfortunately for all of them, the group is only reading at a fifth grade level. We have just finished reading the Wizard of Oz. Although they did not enjoy taking a Saturday night movie night for the entire school to watch it, I do think the four of them enjoyed reading the original story. What a lot of great discussions happened during those weeks of reading. It was a long enough story to get the students involved and to get their imaginations going.
My third 'group' is a seventh grader. That he is reading at a sixth grade level shows that he is not too far behind. Hopefully, by working with this student so closely now, he will get up to snuff in reading and that will help in all subjects.Our school is getting a third teacher soon that will be taking over the middle school instead of having those students split between the elementary and high school classes. I am not sure what my tasks as a classroom aide will be at that point, but I think that I will get to go back to being a one-on-one tutor in the classrooms. That is the position that I have found that I like the most. It doesn't even matter how low or how high the student’s abilities are, I really like working with them one-on-one.
How do you pick which grade level you want to teach and then how do you find the perfect teaching job? Or is there such a thing?

Family

Starting on my movie-making career this week brought back lots of memories. Going through pictures and remembering old friends and the things we have done together. The best pictures, though, were the ones of my family. I have not been close to them physically since leaving home many, many years ago but I am close to them in my heart. I did not even really know the oldest five as they are so much older than I am they seem to be their own family and the five youngest of us made our own family. It has not been until I became an adult that I have really gotten to know some of my sisters and brothers. I am still closest to those siblings that are closer in age to me than I am to the older ones but now at least I feel that I am their sister. My oldest sister is only 19 years older than I am and had a daughter that was six months younger than I am. She is a crazy lady that is up for any adventure at the drop of a hat. Just invite her and she is ready! The second oldest sister is practical and kind of boring but nice and willing to help you out if she can. The next older sister liked to laugh a lot and a good story or a practical joke were things that she liked to take part in. The next older sister has a sad sense of humor and has learned to take life too seriously. I don't know how she ended up that way because none of the rest of us are like that. My older brother likes to be the life of the party and has a really generous heart. The next sister is fun and does a lot of traveling to visit friends and family but is stuck with an arrogant husband so no one wants to go visit her. The next sister likes to have fun but is too lazy to put out a lot of effort. She is remarkably creative and I have always been a little envious of her artistic talent. The next sister was my best friend growing up. We are still close and we talk either on the phone or on the Internet quite often. My younger brother is the most calm and normal. Even my kids think that I come from a family of crazies but they admit that my family likes to have fun. We do great family reunions every three to five years and try to do them at a variety of locations. We camped at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, one year and took my 74 year-old mother white water rafting on the Snake River. We camped on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state one year and went clamming (out of season it turns out) and caught enough to feed the whole lot of us. One year it was in Orofino, Idaho, where I had lived for nine years growing up. That trip was the one with the most memories as we were burying our mom with our dad. It was great to reminisce about them and a really good time for the older ones to share memories of our dad since he died when half of us were still in school. Fewer of our children are attending the family reunions and that is unfortunate but we still stay in touch and we will always be family.

PowerPoint As An Instructional Tool

PowerPoint presentations could be used for any topic at pretty much any grade level. Most younger students would not take much time to teach to use the forward and backward buttons and have each slide set to go on its own. I have never thought to use a PowerPoint as a one-to-one teaching tool (You do it all the time, Skip) but it works very well. You could even do a PowerPoint presentation that showed how to do a PowerPoint presentation. If you had the one-to-one computer teaching/learning scenario going on, you could even send to each individual computer the specific presentations for that student. What a time saver during school if you used this. It might take a bit of time to get quick at making them but then during the day the instructor would have more time for extra questions rather than the general teaching. That would be especially helpful in the bush where one class of ten students may have five grades in it. It is hard to teach five lessons at one time in person!
I have used PowerPoint presentations quite a few times but never for use by an individual. I have always used them as an aide in lecturing or in general instruction. I also have used them as a backdrop for ceremonies such as graduation parties and Boy Scout Eagle Award ceremonies. I will never hesitate to consider using PowerPoint again. I had never used all the bells and whistles and really had fun learning what they could do. My husband decided I was a threat to society by my choices in sounds. It was fun and I think that all ages would enjoy learning if WE as instructors learned to make fun AND informative PowerPoint presentations as teaching tools.

Kahlua

I do not even like to drink Kahlua but I have a dog by that name! My husband had wanted a Chesapeake Bay Retriever for quite some time, but we had no fenced yard for a dog that size. I finally convinced him that we would get a dog if he would fence the yard. During the summer of 2003 my husband and son fenced our back yard. Then the search for a dog began. Early in December I saw an advertisement for Chesapeakes and checked into it. They would be ready for adoption by December 15. Since the owners lived less than one mile from us, I convinced them to keep it until Christmas morning. I picked out a brown beanie puppy with a red collar and wrapped it for my husband. Then I picked out a red dog collar and wrapped that also. Christmas Eve on our way home from dinner, my husband (who does like Kahlua) decided that he would like to purchase a bottle of Kahlua. However, all of the liquor stores were already closed for the holiday. So, home with no Kahlua. Christmas morning, after unwrapping all of our gifts, we took the dog collar and went to pick up the newest edition to our family. My husband was more excited than the puppy, if you can picture a grown man being that excited. She was a dark curly brown with just a hint of white on her belly and a dot of white on her chest. What to name her? What to name her? We looked at the names of her ancestors and compared that to her color. It seemed that chocolate and brown were all over in her line but we needed a new name. That is when we decided that my husband could have his Kahlua for Christmas after all and called her Kahlua Honey Grizzly.

Software Resources

I work with third grade through ninth grade for reading and starting in October I will be teaching preschool. Since preschool is where I spend the majority of my time, those are the majority of my test subjects and where I put the biggest part of my time and effort.

Software Title: Starfall
Grade/Age level: Pre-Kindergarten through second grade
Subject Area(s): Reading & Writing
Platform: Both
Purpose: An inexpensive way to make the classroom more fun and inspire a love of reading and writing. Parents can use Starfall to prepare their children for school, and to support them once they are there. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children. I have used it in my pre-kindergarten class to help with letter recognition and to learn letter sounds. In the classroom, the only problem I have is that I only have one computer so the students have to take turns on the computer. The other students tend to want to look that way instead of working on their current tasks. It is free online but does have some other items that can be purchased for use off of the computer (in case you are not one-to-one capable). There are some free downloads that you can get as long as you have Adobe Reader (free downloadable software for both PC and Mac). It is definitely appropriate for even pre-kindergarteners is you get them to the task that you want them to work with. It is pretty easy to follow and every one of my students could use it. So the required teacher time in the classroom is very little after the initial training. There is no registration required and no personal information asked for. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.

Software Title: US State Geography Test
Grade/Age level: Third grade
Subject Area(s): Geography
Platform: Both
Purpose: To see how well a student knows the location of the forty-eight contiguous states. You have to click the state name and drag it to its proper location on the map. If you do not get all of the names on the map in time, it lets you know that you failed third grade. If the students have been studying geography, it is appropriate for any grade level from third grade on up. An eight year old or older should be able to use it independently. I have passed it! The site does not require any registration or personal information. There are no advertisements and will run on any computer and does not require any special equipment. The home web site is Pasadena IBM Users Group and they also have a few other games through the 'files' link on their home page. Most are just for fun and some are not for kids.

Software Title: Sheppard Software
Grade/Age level: Kindergarten and up
Subject Area(s): All subjects
Platform: Both
Purpose: This site uses multimedia to enhance learning and to make learning fun and memorable. As you progress through the games, they get harder so they keep up with the abilities of the child. Some of the games for preschoolers require help from an adult (to read the instructions on each page) so this is a time intensive site for teachers. It would be great for parents of small children at home. As an extra learning game site for older students in their spare time at school, or to reinforce subject matter, it would be great. There is no registration or personal information required. Since the online software is in essence an advertisement for the items you can purchase, there are no distracting advertisements while the children are using the site. There is no special software or equipment required to use this site.

One-to-One Teaching and Learning

Before I start with my comments on the lesson itself, I just want to say that I am having my husband watch this video. Our school just received laptops for the highschool class, which he teaches, and this might give him some ideas. It was a good overview of what to expect if, or when, you encounter one-to-one computer teaching and learning. I am sure that not every school or school district will be set up the same way even as it seemed that not every class was using the laptops to the same extent at Denali.

Negative:
Who trains the trainer?
Many of the students like the speed of the responses they get when they submit their assignments electronically. The teachers must be willing to adapt if the program is going to be a success. The training did not seem to be addressed in the video from Denali (unless that is what the service learning person does) but I think this would need to be a cooperative item. Teachers need to help each other but they also need to be willing to learn from the experiences of their students. Age does not always translate to wisdom or ability. Even if you only use computers in a computer lab, you still need to know how to use them. You still need to have a tech department; it would just have to be bigger.

How can you use the computer for more than research?
Students use the computers with photography to learn how to take pictures and then submit them without having to process the film or print the pictures. Easy to share what each student has done. Computer technology is good for PowerPoint or movies. Computers give the students a chance to expand on what they learn is art. The students still have to learn how to keep their projects within the requirements of the assignments even though it is on the computer and not on paper. That has not changed.

How do we know if the information they are finding is accurate?
The instructors still need to monitor where the students are getting their information. That is part of the “teaching” that goes on in the classroom. Just as a teacher has to monitor whether or not the students are just cut and pasting others’ work into their assignments.

Do we have to change all lesson plans to include technology?
When the students move on to the real world, they will be using technology. Having a computer available all day helps them practice all of their skills so that they are fluent in those programs when they graduate. Many of the activities already in your lesson plans still need to be done but many of them can now be done on the computer using a variety of programs. The Internet should be seen as another resource to include in your lesson plan when it is appropriate.

What about broken equipment?
In Denali the hardware is taken care of by two seniors that repair the computers as needed. Cheaper for the school district and gives the students important training that can readily be used in the real world after graduation. This repair work gives extra training for students that have fulfilled the requirements for education instead of just filling their days.

Positive:
A new world of technology!
The students are interested in their work even if only for the excitement of spending so much time on a computer and even better since it is their individual laptop. Gets the students ready for the real world where many things are done on computers. Gives the students a chance to use a large variety of programs. They open up an opportunity to participate in distance education. The students can then take classes that are not available in their school. Computers are a great way for teachers to stay in contact with their students through a medium that the students are into. Working with the computers at school gives the students a chance to learn the hardware technology to use at home immediately.

Less paperwork!
The students do not need to print out their work. They can electronically send it to the instructor in final form or over and over again as rough drafts. Online quizzes from the internet provided resources can be submitted directly to the teacher.

Assignments available from anywhere!
Students like that fact that they can take their computers home and access the assignments over the weekend or at night when they may have forgotten what they need completed for the next day’s class.

Availability of computers for all students when needed!
No more waiting for an opportunity for your class to get into the computer lab. You may want to do an extensive assignment that needs many hours of computer time which you may not get if the entire school shares a limited number of computers.

Fewer out-of-date books!
Resources on line are more up-to-date than the textbooks that are out of date before you get them in your classroom. More resources available than you would have if you only used textbooks in paper form. There are good programs available for school districts that use “internet text books” such as Beyond Books. These programs are cheaper than continually buying textbooks that can be forgotten at home. It is easier to carry around one laptop rather than six textbooks.

Week 1

I like to travel and see other countries and cultures but when I am home, I am a homebody. I have been to all 50 of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, China, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria, Liechtenstein, Greece, Crete, Germany, Berlin (when the wall was still up), and Morocco. I have and am willing to go by car, bus, train, motorcycle, plane, hot air balloon, ship, sail boat, kayak, inner tube, ferry, bike, horse, snow machine, sled, wagon, trike, or four wheeler. I'll even hike if I have to!
I started my military career in the Air Force and now am in the Navy Reserve and have only 1 1/2 years left until I can retire. My husband of 25 years is retired from the Air Force where he was a cop and now he is a teacher. My son transferred to the Navy after 6 years in the Air National Guard (where he did one tour in Iraq). My daughter is in the Montana Air National Guard and is on her way to Iraq on September 16. My dad was in the Army during WWII and 7 of my 9 siblings have been in one branch or the other of the military. I come from a family that believes in our country and what it stands for and we are willing to fight for the freedoms we enjoy.
I am a Christian and a conservative and believe in what our founding fathers built this country on but not necessarily what it has become. I try to keep up with the news and take my responsibilities of being informed, voting and being involved very seriously. I am hard headed, opinionated, I cry at movies and I am afraid of heights. I like to celebrate every one's birthday and call all of my friends and sing to them even though I can not carry a tune. I laugh a lot and read all of the funny stuff in Reader's Digest before reading any of the articles. I enjoy Sudoku and logic problems but can never think of the words for a crossword puzzle and word searches bore me. I usually read for enjoyment only and like action thrillers, espionage, adventure and good comedies. I am a vegetarian when the salad is fresh and crisp and a carnivor when the steak is rare and tender. I don't think of myself as creative but I appreciate what others are able to do.
I probably have about 2 years left before I will have my teaching degree and hope we stay in one place long enough for me to finish my classes. I am the student government advisor, teach preschool, am an aide in the elementary class, and also in the high school class. I really enjoy working with all of the students and having the opportunity to see what students are like at all levels. Although our school only has 24 students, K-12, they are at every level developmentally and socially. So far, I think that I would like to work with 3rd graders if I am ever in a traditional school setting.