Wikipedia

I just added to wikipedia. It was weird! I know teachers have extremes about either really liking it or really hating it because they think that it's information cannot be trusted. Well I just added my own little tid bit to it. This is what I said, and let me tell you that what I wrote was not made up-it is all true. "Another example of a small but growing organization that is completely run by students is TEAM (Tomorrow's educators of the Advancement of Multiculturalism). This is a great group of mostly future educators who feel strongly about teaching with a multicultural pedagogy in the classroom. The group is full of social activities, fundraising, community service events, and professional developments. One thing that makes it stand out is that there are no dues!" It's there in the wikipedia page of "Michigan State University" under the "Student Organizations" section.

Animoto

I used animoto to make my video of some of the trips I've gone on. My video is of some pictures that I've taken traveling in Greece, London, England, France, the Turks and Caicos, Mexico, and even Chicago and Up North Michigan. Making video's is a really neat way for students to be expressive and creative using pictures, music, and text. Video storytelling is a great way for students to present something to the class.

One thing I will say about animoto, however, is that it only lets you do a 30 second show unless you pay for it, and 30 seconds isn't a very long time. Also without paying for one of the memberships the videos will only last a month. So next month, the video below will no longer be seen.

Prezi

I explored prezi.

It's a pretty neat site. I like how things can move around in interesting ways. I like how much control there is of where to put things so it's very much like a virtual posterboard that can be easily moved around.

One things that I will say about it, however, is that it could make students and people watching the videos sick or nautious if things are moving too much or too quickly.

But also with it moving all the time it keeps it more exciting and new and it keeps people watching.

Digital Storytelling 2

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Digital Storytelling

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

VBlog and before

I made my video blog the other day using Jing. It was actually pretty neat. It was so simple to use the basics and make the video. I know that there is so many more things that I can learn about it and other technology but what I've learned already in this class is crazy. I never thought about just anyone using and doing all these things with technology. One thing I am having trouble with, though, is remembering all my user names and passwords.
I was talking with my parents last night and they were talking about before computers and all this technology, back in the day when peopel first started getting e-mail addresses. Now everyone has multiple e-mail addresses that they use different things.

Lesson Plans

I'm working on writing lesson plans with technology included. It's actually not really hard. At first I was trying to make it more about the technology but the I realized that all I have to do is make it about the content and then add the technology to it.
One thing that I wondered about schools, however, is what will be allowed into the school through the internet. Google Earth is what I incorporate into my lesson plan but realistically it may not be allowed into the school. Youtube, as well, can have some very educational videos that could be benefitial in a school classroom as a visual teaching aid.
This being said, as we teachers gain more experience and knowledge about technology, schools should be willing to make changes about their rules and make it easier for us to use the technology in the classroom. Some things are expensive, like SmartBoards and Green Screens, but for things like youtube, the boundaries for teachers (those who are willing to preview what they show first, of course) should be stretched.

IDIOMS 2

Wow this was a mess. It didn't save quite how I wanted it to and for some reason my files completely shifted, so everything can't been seen on it. That's super frustrating. But here it is. It's relaly weird to hear my voice talk back to me.

IDIOMS

This is my lesson plan that I created about idioms.
There is no audio yet. That's next. :-)

Google Docs

Google Docs is great. I always hated trying to coordinate group members looking at and fixing projects. With Google Docs its so easy and no one person has to be completely in charge because everyone can edit it. I will say that formating is a bit frustrating. I miss having my rulers on the top and side of the pages in microsoft word.
I could definitely see myself using this in my classroom. For older groups of students during group projects I could see myself instucting with it and helping them with their projects. But even for myself it would benefitial if I need to work on something for school at home, or at the library, or at the school-then I wouldn't have to keep e-mailing new copies to myself over and over again.

Google Earth

I looked at google earth this week and really saw how it could be useful and beneficial in my classroom. Since I want to teach in an urban setting, I know I will have many students from differen countries and cities with different backgrounds and stories. Google Earth could be beneficial because I could use it to show different countries and places that my students came from. This would be great for awareness and understanding as well as geography of different places my students come from. With the option to look at the land with satellite it could even work for a science class when talking about different types of land and earth.

More on Twitter

I am not the biggest fan of twitter. Other people's business has never been important to me. Growing up I never watched sports and I didn't get into reading magazines all about the celebrities lives. So twitter has been a hard thing for me to force myself to do. I don't like it. And I don't know what to write as my updates because on top of all that above, I don't want people knowing all my business either.
The little whale flying saying "Twitter is over capacity. Too many tweets! Please wait a moment and try again." is annoying too when it just cuts me off from what I am doing.

All this technology at once is a lot to get a hang of, keep up with, and keep track of. I though checking my e-mail and facebook was enough for me, but now i have my blog, and my twitter, too. Not to mention all the other things that has forced me to create a username and a password-I had to make a page to help me remember them all!

Photos

These are the photos that I put on to flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50753692@N07/show/

Creative Commons

This is a picture that I found on Creative Commons.

I would use this picture in my classroom to prove the point of how important multicultural education is to me. Multiculturalism education is working toward creating equal educational opportunities for all students from diverse racial, ethnic, social-class, and cultural groups. Through this pedagogy, one of the main goals is to help students gain the knowledge, attitude, and abilities to communicate and interact with today’s society. Multiculturalism is working with different students and incorporating their cultures into the education on a more cognitive level, diving in deep, and not just grazing the surface. This is what I want in my classroom this picture from Creative Commons shows everyone working together to keep the world together and working.

Photo Attribution:

Multicultural education

emilie.eliamep.gr/tag/multicultural-education/ CC

Educational Technology

I'm still working on all this blogging and RSSs and Tweeting. Oh yeah there's also bookmarking, following people, and writing my own ideas. It seems like it's never ending! And I'm sure that as soon as I start getting used to what I'm learning about now it's all going to change and bigger and better things are going to come out.

Looking around on the internet even only this week I have found countless of great things to follow and read. So many people have so many ideas that they want to share and get out into the world via the world wide web.

Technology has definitely been integrating into the classroom slowly but exponentially over time. What I think is fascinating is to think about 4 of the main placements that I have worked with and the differences of technology they had in the classroom.
In a second grade classroom in South Lansing the class has computer class, two computers in the classroom, a printer, and an over head projector. Not too much of anything special and other than writing on the overhead everything was done at the tables.
In a fifth grade classroom in Okemos the class I was working with was specifically an art classroom, but even for art technology was integrated in the curriculum-if I had had more time to spend around the school I'm sure what I would have found technologywise would have amazed me. The main project the class was working on while I was there included giant projector screens and video taping as they were making youtube videos about their "under the sea" sea creatures.
In a seventh grade classroom I worked at in Detroit, they had 3 computers and a printer in the classroom. I taught this class by myself and tried to incorporate online materials into the small summerschool class that I was teaching. The lack of a projector screen or even an overhead made it difficult, but somehow we managed.
In the RDC in Lansing, too, technology is booming. With their computer lab, car simulator, and rosetta stone CDs for english leaners, the RDC has made a quick shift over into the technology driven world we live in.

What amazes me is the differences in technology from place to place. Of course the more urban setting schools have less money and thus less chance for new and up to date technology, but eventually they all get there. All in all technology can only seem to bring in a positive learning experience for students, as long as it's monitered and censored, of course. But it is through technology that I have found that it's easiest to accommodate to all of my students' different learning styles, as well as up to date ideas and activities.

Student and Teacher Blogging that Succeeds

I just read this article, Student and Teacher Blogging that Succeeds. I agree with it when it says that more and more people are creating blogs in order to connect with the world, but I also can relate to the stand on not making one. If it weren't for a class I would not have probably ever made a blog, nor would I keep up with it.
The way the article seems to put it is that it's not necessarily even about writing in the blogs but maybe more about reading what other people have to say. It's not likely that many people are going to be reading a fresh new blog that was just made.
"2 ears and 1 mouth"-do more commenting and listening to what others have to say than just writing in your own blog. It's more about personality and a conversation with the world than with total structure.
This article was pretty good for putting the perspective of positives for blogging, and I will be interested to see if and how I use it in my own classroom.

Education Blogs

Here are some other blogs that I found about education.

www.esl-less-plan.com
www.teacheratrisk.com
www.artlessonsforkids.wordpress.com
www.pedagogypractice.blogspot.com
www.successfulteaching.blogspot.com

TWITTER

I just made a twitter account for this class. I always refused to and now I'm forced to. I'm not really getting the hang of it. Follow me. My account's daroskay.

My Technology Background

My technology background is quite limited. I took a technology class in highschool which focused on Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but other than that I don't know much. Other than Picasa, I don't know much about photo editing-I don't know how to use Photoshop. I also don't know anything about editing music or movies. I know the simple things that are required for college classes, like writing papers and creating presentations. I do have a facebook, and I know how to instant message and Skype. I have experience with wiki posts for classses and I have made websites for different TE class projects:
www.allaboutliteracy.weebly.com
www.sites.google.com/sites/communiteam/
What I am expecting from this class is to learn even more about ways I can incorporate technology into my classroom and use technology to make my classes engaging, while keeping up with the growing sources of media that surround us. I want this class to help me get ideas to use in my classroom so I can have a multimedia based classroom that can provide for many different learning styles.