Ideas for my Final Project

For the lesson that I will design, I will divide the fifth graders from my classroom into teams of four students and I will ask them to decide which of the four students is going to be in charge of the team. The students in charge will have to provide to me feedback of the work that the group has been doing and how each student is working. I will also assign specific roles to the rest of the group members.

I will assign one region of the United States to each of the groups. They are going to have to do research of that region, and come up with the states that are in that region, the capital of each of those states, the weather, type of vegetation, information of some of the most attractive places of that region, describe the population, etc. For doing this, students will be required to use Google Earth and also to do some research using Google.

Once they have all their research ready, they are going to have to organize all the information, look for pictures and some you tube videos, to produce a video with all the information gathered of one of the regions of the United States. For this they are going to use iMovie. Once they have the video ready, they are going to have to present it to the whole class.  

Second Tool - iMovie

With the use of iMovie, students are going to be required to produce their own video. With the use of this software students are able to easily create and edit a video by using pictures, voice over, music, captions, part of other videos, different backgrounds, and several cool effects. It is a software that even if it is very user friendly it helps you produce high quality videos. By having students create their own movie, you help them develop their creativity, self-expression, collaboration, self-reflection, and to reinforce and document their learning.   

By using iMovie, students are going to have fun, they are going to be engaged and interested in the topic so they are going to be able to retain the new information better. Also they are going to be able to create a great and creative project on their own and they are going to find different ways in which they can incorporate technology while learning. There is another software to create videos that is called Movie Maker, this software is used by Windows, but the reason why I preferred iMovie is because it is easier to use and it has more options and tools. 

Even if the activity that I want to design is about Geography, by using iMovie and Google Earth, students are going to develop many different skills. For example, they are going to learn how to work with technology, how to gather helpful information from the Internet, how to learn on their own, how to produce a video, how to incorporate all their findings to create a final product, how to organize information, how to work in effectively in teams, and how to present all their findings to other people.  

First Tool - Google Earth

Like I mentioned in my last post, the objective I will be focusing on will be the following according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Grade 5 in Geography:

The student understands the concept of regions in the United States. The student is expected to:

(A)  describe a variety of regions in the United States such as political, population, and economic regions that result from patterns of human activity;

(B)  describe a variety of regions in the United States such as landform, climate, and vegetation regions that result from physical characteristics such as the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Coastal Plains;

(C)  locate on a map important political features such as the ten largest urban areas in the United States, the 50 states and their capitals, and regions such as the Northeast, the Midwest, and the Southwest; and

(D) locate on a map important physical features such as the Rocky Mountains, Mississippi River, and Great Plains.

With the use of Google Erath the 5^th grade students are going to identify and describe the characteristics of different regions in the United Sates. Google Earth is a free software that will allow them to see detailed photos and satellite images of any place around the world, for this activity they are going to use it to see photos and images from different region from the United States. By looking at his detailed images students are going to be able to describe different characteristics from those regions. Also with the help of the Weather layer from Google Earth they are going to be able to analyze the weather of the regions. With the Borders and Layers layer students are going to be able to identify which states are part of the regions and also identify the capitals of those states in the regions.  And with the time slider students are going to be able to analyze how geography from those regions has changed over time. 

 Once you get closer to the area that you want to see, many important areas from that region are highlighted, and when you click on them, you are able to see many cool pictures from different nice places that area from Panoramio. Because like Google describes it “With Google Earth you can explore the World from your computer”.

Ideas for my Final Project

       I would like to design a geography lesson with the use of iPads, Google Earth and iMovie. The lesson would be for fifth graders and the purpose of it would be for students to identify and describe characteristics of different regions in the United Sates. For the activity students will use Google Earth from the iPad. After having all the information students will create a video in iMovie to show their findings and they will have to present the video to the class. Following are the learning objective I would focus on for this lesson according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills:  

Geography. The student understands the concept of regions in the United States. The student is expected to:

(A)  describe a variety of regions in the United States such as political, population, and economic regions that result from patterns of human activity;

(B)  describe a variety of regions in the United States such as landform, climate, and vegetation regions that result from physical characteristics such as the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Coastal Plains;

(C)  locate on a map important political features such as the ten largest urban areas in the United States, the 50 states and their capitals, and regions such as the Northeast, the Midwest, and the Southwest; and

(D) locate on a map important physical features such as the Rocky Mountains, Mississippi River, and Great Plains.

During this week I found two interesting videos about the benefits of using iPads in the classroom and about how to use iMovie with your students. Here are the link to the videos,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV8M6P9st9Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd4Cjfjtgqw

Twitter Update Week 9

     The resource that I found during this week and that I shared through Twitter is about schools in Arlington, VA., that are taking the lead on innovation, they are investing on iPads for their students. They mention the advantages they found for students with iPads. They explain how students are able to use many different tools, activities and application that are going to help them in their understanding and make their learning experience better. Here is the link,

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/03/27/2456060/schools-across-the-country-bring.html

 

     Also I am following new people and organizations on Twitter. The people I am following are Floppy the Monster and CharlieTravers are educators interested in technology as well, and iSchoolSource is an education technology student that posts information about technology and different applications. I am also following MacRumors.com and Apple News that provide the more recent news and rumors about Apple products and about the company.

     The resources that I read from my classmates are Edutopia that is helpful information about education shared through Twitter and Scholastic Teachers which is another source from Twitter that provide helpful information about books  and education trends.   

 

Visualizing with Technologies

The second chapter I selected from the textbook is Chapter 9 Visualizing with Technologies. This chapter describes how we as educators can take advantage of visualization tools to engage our students and make them have a better understanding of all the concepts while implementing hand on activities with these kind of tools. Visualization tools are devices that allow us to share images with other people and can help us comprehend different concepts easily. Next I am going to mention some of these visualization tools.

·      Draw/Paint Programs – this type of software allows us to make our own drawings or sketches, they also allow us to change or fix pictures. These programs are very helpful in math, biology, science, and geography.

·      Digital Cameras and Mobile Phones – these devices allows us to take high-resolution pictures, we can use download those onto a computer to use them in any document. Also with mobile phones we can easily share the pictures we take with other people.

·      Video – There are many programs that allow us to create and record our own videos. Students are going to acquire many skills producing their own videos.

·      Digital Storytelling – By designing activities in which students are able to produce their own movie, they are going to be more engaged and interested on the topic. In digital storytelling, students can use a combination of video, pictures, photos, text and music to create their own movie. 

·      Video modeling and Feedback – With the use of videos students can learn a specific behavior. Also students can record themselves doing a specific activity and then be evaluated about their performance; this activity helps students evaluate themselves as well.   

With all these visualization tools available we can help our students develop many different skills. They are going to be able to work in a collaborative manner, they will enhance public relations, increase their creativity, and they will develop planning, producing and communication skills. So this is a very fun and innovative way in which we, as educators, can take advantage of technology and at the same time help our students learn in a better and original manner.

The visualization tools that I would like to explore are iMovie, Movie Maker and Google Earth.  iMovie is a Mac software that allows you to create your own movie and makes it easier for you to share it. iMovie can be installed in any apple product, such as laptops, computers, iPads and iPhones. By using this software you can create your own movie with the use of videos, pictures, text, transitions, slides, music and voiceover. The second tool is Movie Maker, that allows you to do the same thing that iMovie, but Movie Maker is used for Windows. The third tool is Google Earth, as mentioned in one of my posts, is a software that will allow students to see very detailed photos or satellite images of any place around the world, so it makes it easy and fun for anyone to navigate the Earth.    

 

People and Organizations I am Following on Twitter

I am following TEDTalks Updates which are conferences about different ideas for technology, entertainment and design that are available online. These conferences talk a lot about education and ideas about how to integrate technology into education. I am also following A Googler that is about news from Google and BBC Breaking News.  Eder Langhorne is one of the persons I am following; he is a consultant that helps schools and small businesses operate in the 21^st century and Bill French who is a technology entrepreneur.

 

I also checked two websites posted by my classmates, which are the following:

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/k12/  and,

http://edudemic.com/2011/12/15-flipped-classrooms/

The first website is about a magazine that offers different tips and advice about how technology can improve teaching. It also contains product reviews and case studies. The second one is about 15 schools using flipped classrooms, which are classrooms in which students watch different materials for their classes at home through the web, so classroom time can be used more effectively to answer questions and practice what they have learned. 

Websites found in Delicious during this week

     I found a link through Delicious to a YouTube video about the history of technology in education. The video shows a timeline, which starts from 30,000 B.C.E. with the cave drawings and it continues to show the most important technologies used though time. It is very interesting because it shows how the radio was used in education in 1920 and in 1930 teachers started using filmstrip projectors in class! I also was not aware the overhead projector was first used in 1940. It was in 1990 when the computers were introduced as an educational tool and SMART Boards interactive whiteboards in 1991. In 1995 the Internet was also integrated into teaching and from 2000 on technology has been advancing in an incredible way and it has been used to teach in a more effective manner. Here is the link of the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFwWWsz_X9s

    The other link I found using Delicious is about how to use blogs to integrate technology into a classroom. They explain what a blog is, and like we already know, it is a publishing tool that allows any person to publish text, graphics, pictures, links, comments, photos and different type of media. They mention how blogs are very effective when it comes to teaching, because they motivate students, they also offer the opportunity to students to read and write, they are also a highly effective collaborative tool, because students can comment on other blogs, give their opinion, discuss about a certain topic or peer review. Also teacher can use it as a tool to communicate more effectively with their students, because teachers can post handouts, homework, instructions, helpful links, notices, and also teachers can answer questions in their blogs.  Here is the link to this website:

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/educationupclose.phtml/47

Google and iPads as Tools for Learning Geography in Fifth Grade

Google and iPads are an excellent tool for elementary students when they are learning geography. In this project I will be focusing in fifth grade students. The learning objectives according to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Grade 5 are:

•         The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
•         The student understands the concept of regions in the United States.
•         The student understands the location and patterns of settlement and the geographic factors that influence where people live.
•         The student understands how people adapt to and modify their environment.

I am going to start explaining how Google could be used to help students in fifth grade learn about geography. First of all there is Google Earth, that is a software that will allow students to see very detailed photos or satellite images of any place around the world. So you are free to navigate the through the Earth! Also with this tool you can use different layers of information. One is the Weather layer and it helps you see the different type of weather around the world. Another one is the borders and labels, this one is very helpful for children because it defines states, the capitals of each state, countries and continents. There is also the ocean layer, which gives you information about marine life and sea temperatures among other things.

Besides students can practice latitude and longitude by locating coordinates, they can also look for a place they know and look for the exact location of it. Something that I also find amazing is the time slider, which is a tool that shows you how the geography has changed over time.

There is also Google maps gives you the benefit of looking for any address around the world and give you specific direction to get there. Also you can select between streetview, map or satellite view.

Another helpful tool from Google is Panoramio, which allows you to see many different pictures from all over the world. From here you can select between the map, satellite and hybrid view. You can browse for any place you would like to see pictures of. These were the most helpful tools I found from Google for children to learn geography.

From iPads we have different applications children can use. What is great about using iPads is that children love to use them; they are just amazed with them. So as educators, we can take advantage of this and have them use them in a way that is going to benefit them and help them learn.

The ipads already have the Maps application installed and it works just as the Google maps tool. Like mentioned before, with an iPad you can download many different application that are going to help children learn. One of them is Learn Geography which helps children learn the location of countries and states in a map and also to learn all the capitals through the use of flashcards and maps, and it also provides feedback. There is another application called Stack the States which through games helps you learn the name of every state, its location and geographical information about each state. Another fun and helpful application is the  iLearn: US States which helps children learn in a fun way the names of each state, its capital, different facts about each state, such as its flag, bird, and statehood. Students can review the information, play games, and also be tested.

There is also an application called the United States Puzzle Map, which contains puzzles with maps of the United States and each piece is a state, students just have to drag each state to its location until they complete the puzzle. There is also the National Geographic for kids magazine application available with photo galleries, information, games, quizzes and puzzles. And the National Geographic World Atlas HD, which offers high-resolution images of maps from the whole world. It has an interactive 3D globe, which you can spin or rotate, you can also select between classic, executive or satellite view.  It also shows the world flags and facts and you can even bookmark your favorite places with pins.

So with all these tools available you can make your students work in groups and assign each group a region of the United States. They will have to provide maps with different views of each region, information, the weather, important facts and places of the states in each region including pictures. They also need to show and explain how the geography in each region has changed over time and show the location of it in the globe. 

Websites I found during this week using Delicious

The first website that I found is one about what people think about technology and education. It mentions how technology has become the main resource for students to learn as much as they can. The website also provides many different ideas about how to integrate technology effectively and appropriately into teaching and it also describes many activities that can be used with students from different grades and content areas. Here is the link:

http://www.delicious.com/stacks/view/Dnyeq8

The other website that I found talks about how almost every school has at least a computer lab, but how many teachers do not make an appropriate use of it. So it encourages teachers to develop activities that are going to engage and help students learn better during their time in the computer lab. It also mentions how important is technology nowadays and that is why we need to consider the use of computers as a right to every student that has access to them. Here is the link:

http://www.examiner.com/parenting-education-in-los-angeles/technology-elementary-education

    

Links of the blogs I read during this week

Here are the links of the blogs that mention how students benefit from the use of technology!

http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/2012/02/24/our-schools-cultivating-the-skills-to-succeed/a45sfia/  

http://www.coronadonewsca.com/news/article_0e9d2694-5e6c-11e1-a4cd-001871e3ce6c.html

Blogs about how technology benefits students

One of the blogs I read during this week was about an Elementary school that integrates technology into teaching and describes all the benefits that it gets from doing so. They mention how communication to students, parents and staff members has improved and how students have progress because of the use of different technologies such as, SMART boards, iPods, laptops and Blackboard.

The other blog I read talks about how The Coronado Unified School District has benefited from the use of technology and it describes the impact that it had in students learning. They mention the tools used by the district, which are, Web 2.0 tools, doc cams, interactive whiteboards, and wireless slate technology. They also refer to the importance of getting all the teachers and staff trained in the use of different software tools. 

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Inquiring with technologies

One of the benefits that technology offers to students of every grade level is that it gives them access to much information. There are so many websites that are so helpful to for students to learn, in which they can find innumerous data and they also have public access to various online dictionaries and encyclopedias. By using the Internet students get many benefits because they have the opportunity to access the most updated facts and data.

Educators agree on the fact that if students search for information by themselves they are going to be able to understand better what they are learning. But research has shown that if we ask our student to search for the answer for close-ended questions is not going to help them learn effectively. We need to find ways in which students benefit from conducting their own research and make them learn from this experience. We need to ask them open-ended questions, to look for information that is going to help them answer a certain question, evaluate an idea or comment of someone else or to work on a student directed research project.

Educators also need to teach our student how to look for reliable information in the Internet, the different type of search tools available for them and how to use the Internet correctly. One of the things about knowing how to use the Internet appropriately is learn how to navigate it safely. Students can be exposed to pornography, images portraying violence, obscene vocabulary or they can provide private information to strangers. We can overcome this problem by taking the right measures, so they can take advantage of the all the data, activities and information that is available for them.

Also mobile devices can be used by students to collect data or to do different activities. Students are amazed by technology and like to use it. So we as educators should take advantage of this and help students identify technology as a learning tool.

Two of the tools that I would like to explore from this chapter are Google and iPads.

Links of the blogs

http://itselementary.edublogs.org/

http://technologylessons.blogspot.com/

About the blogs I during this week

One of the blogs I read this week was about different ways to support elementary education. They mention that we need to use technology as an integral part of our teaching and not as something separate, and also about how technology allows helping kids make connections to the rest of the world.

The other blog I read is written by Karen Ogen, she used to teach with technology in elementary classrooms, so she dedicates this blog to share different activities in which children use technology while learning.  For example she shows and activity in which students use Google Earth to learn geography skills. She also mentions different fun activities elementary kids can do by using Word and PowerPoint.     

Links of the blogs I read during the week

http://www.cityschools.com/msmith/

http://www.schooltechnology.org/2011/12/29/educational-technology-bill-of-rights-for-students/

What I learned from the Blogs I read this week

I read two blogs this week and one of them was about how to really understand the concept of integrating technology in the classroom What I liked about this blog is that it explains the real concept of integrating technology into the classroom, because many teacher believe that is just to learn how to use computers and technology and sometimes use a powerpoint presentation to give a lesson, and that is not it. And here is a quote from this blog of Mary Smith that I really liked “Integration is when classroom teachers use technology to introduce, reinforce, extend, enrich, assess, and remediate student mastery of curricular targets.”

The other blog that I read was about the rights that students should have when using computers at school it is called Educational Technology Bill of Rights for Students. They mention that it is important that students are able to use technology at school, but also they talked about the right to be protected from technology.   

Chapter#1 Meaningful Learning Model

How to use technology to promote two characteristics from the model of meaningful learning 

The authentic characteristic from the model of meaningful learning can be promoted with technology by many different ways. Nowadays the Internet allows us to develop real life activities and exercises about real-life situations. An excellent way to do this is by using Web 2.0 tools that are websites that include blogs, wikis, and social networks. When I tutored students in math I used Web 2.0 tools with my students and they were able to realize that without noticing they use math every day. Suddenly they started to comprehend many of the concepts that they did not understand before. By using real life examples, students are able to relate what they are learning with daily activities and that help them understand all the concepts better and retain the information.

Another characteristic from the model of meaningful learning is the cooperative and this characteristic can be promoted with technology because by using technology we can all work together and cooperate in order to accomplish a task. Students and teachers can collaborate so they can find information and come up with more accurate results and a better final product. Also with web 2.0 tools teachers can engage students while learning, and it is very interesting and fun for students because web 2.0 tools elements of interaction like conversation with cooperative learning experts while they are working online can be used. Also, like I mentioned in another post communication and cooperation can be reinforced with the creation of a website in which students are able to post comments and questions about the class and in which teachers review the work of the students in a timely manner to provide feedback. Furthermore through the Internet children have the opportunity to get different opinions and ideas from experts and specialists all over the world.

How to teach with ipads blog

I just read a blog about how to teach children using ipads. It mentions how many teachers are reluctant to use ipads while their teaching because they believe that children are not able to work in a collaborative manner. It also describes how teachers think that children are just going to learn how to work by themselves if they start using ipads. But actually if teacher integrate ipads into teaching is very beneficial, because students get engaged with the content and also they can work in a collaborative manner, because as an educator you can find activities in which students need to work in groups and then you can give one ipad to the whole group so that they are able to collaborate with each other. Children are amazed with the ipads, so it is a great way to get their attention, to get them interested in the content, and also to make them understand all the concepts better.  

Assignment #1

Tasks to improve productivity by using technology in the classroom

The way in which students learn and conduct research. Access to countless information is an excellent benefit that technology brings into a classroom and by showing our students how to use the Internet correctly and safely we, as educators, would be able to improve productivity in the classroom. I am a tutor at an elementary school and I want to teach elementary students and there are so many websites that are so helpful to help children learn, in which they can find innumerous data, such as, kidsknowit.com, funbrain.com, zooburst.com, e-learningforkids.org, starfall.com, learninggamesforkids.com, funschool.kaboose.com, kids.discovery.com, go2web20.net, just to mention a few. Children also have public access to various online dictionaries and encyclopedias that are age appropriate such as, factmonster.com, academickids.com and kids.britannica.com.

Also communication and collaboration can be reinforced by creating a website in which students could post comments about the class and also ask questions about things they are not understanding in class. Also student parents could communicate with the teacher through that website.  Even though students are not in the classroom, teachers can help students out and review their work in a timely manner to provide feedback.

Web 2.0 tools is another excellent way in which we can improve productivity in a classroom. Web 2.0 tools are websites in which teachers and students can work in a collaborative manner, this tools include, blogs, wikis, and social networks. Also teachers can develop real-life situations tasks with Web 2.0 tools and online interactive activities. Applying real life examples to all content areas allows students to develop more authentic connections. When children relate what they are being taught to prior knowledge it is easier for them to retain the new information also it is easier to capture their attention and to get them more involved.

By using interactive whiteboards and different software to introduce lessons or emphasize specific information is an excellent way to get the students more involved in class and interested about the different topics. There is another way in which we can improve productivity in classrooms that is through the use of different software such as Excel and Word that help us organize all our information in a clear and easy way.  

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