What I have learned this semester

Looking at my Inspiration graphic organizer from the first week of class, I really did not know a lot about technology. I knew how to do a basic word processing, basic email, Powerpoint, and how to use a digital camera. I was really intimidated about taking this class, but I needed the foundation credit.

Now, I'm really glad that I took this class. Now I can create a webquest, do wikis, make a digital text, do a digital movie, podcast, blog, Skype, do social networking, do threaded discussions, Voki, etc. The other teachers at my school are pretty impressed with what I can do--in fact, I'm pretty impressed with myself.

I realize now that technology is something you have to just jump in and try. There are a lot of things I still could not figure out or master--at this date, I still haven't been able to post my digital movie----. As a teacher, you just can't stand back and say "I don't know or our school isn't equipped---you can make things happen with technology and your students if you try. My kids were excited about using technology and if we want them to learn and to appeal to them, teachers (myself included) need to learn more about technology.

I hope to continue using many of the tools I learned about in class. I think this class should be a requirement because technology is the wave of the future. We must embrace it and try to use it successfully in our classrooms if we want our students to become productive, future citizens.

Virtual Classes

I was a little hesitant about the idea of a virtual class. It had its pros and cons.

Pros: save on time (1 1/2 hour drive), save on gas (extremely high,isn't it), able to do some things around the house (cook, laundry, etc), less stress (no driving, no hurrying to get to class on time), better diet (no stopping at the fast food drive in); able to explore on my own in a quiet environment

Cons: able to explore on my own in a quiet environment ( I need some noise!); no classmates to talk and brainstorm with; no professor to beg help from

Tools to make it work: highly structured lesson (like the tutorial using GabCast); able to communicate with others (via threaded discussion with classmates & professor); using virutal classes occassional (no more than once or twice a month--preferrably less); working on an easier topic

Voki

I liked using Voki. I think it is alot like podcasting, but better because the kids would have a character to watch and listen to. I think that this would be great to use as a host for a classroom blog. It would also be great to have on a class webpage to give announcements or assignments. Additionally, you could use this to share books with the character being the narrator.



Get a Voki now!

Using Movie Maker

I really like Movie Maker. In class, I was having difficulty with the book I had scanned (I used Powerpoint to save it) so I made a movie of my dog, Foxie.

Later, I took photos and downloaded them to my computer for a movie maker version of "Joshua by the Sea" by Angela Johnson. I narrated the book as well. I then showed the movie to my students. We watched it several times and then my kids made their own variations of "Joshua by the Sea" poems and illustrated them.

My students really enjoyed this. They liked the transitions and the narration. This is another tool that I would use again in my classroom. In fact, I recently wrote a Donors Choose Grant for the equipment for my students to create their own digital books and Movie Maker productions.

My students' Poetry Podcasts

Here are my students podcasts of their poetry. They wrote a variety of poems including I am poems, Love That (based on Love that Boy); Joshua by the Sea Poem Variations, So much Depends Upon poems (Based on the Red Wheelbarrow)

http://www.gabcast.com/index.php?a=episodes&id=19307

Podcasting with my students

This week, I used podcasting with my kids through the Gabcast program. It was awesome. My students shared the poetry that they had written during our poetry unit in their podcasts.
The kids loved it--the recording,listening, and sharing with others. I was so excited I showed everyone--the librarian, the computer lab assistant, other teachers on my floor, etc. Everyone was so impressed and they asked me to show them how to do it as well--which is great! I ran down to the office to show my principal and assistant principal--they were impressed too, but the first thing that they said was " you said the kids' last names--do they all have Internet permission for last names---I guess I was just caught up in the moment that I didn't even think about it---what a downer--they're just so "administrative"---why couldn't they say "wow these are great poems--your kids did so well--how innovative to use podcasting--anything!"

I'm not going to let that discourage me though. My kids loved it and that's what counts so I will definitely use it again. Some of the kids were so funny recording. When I asked Phillip in the classroom if he would record one of his poems in the library on the phone, his whole face turned red! Ty (the cool kid in my class) froze on the phone and just handed it back to me! I was most proud of Keynari. Keynari has a major stuttering problem. He knows he has to use "his controls" that the speech therapist has shown him, but most of the time he does not. He wanted to do such a good job on this that he practiced and really used his controls well and did a great job!

I see so many other uses for podcasts in the classroom--books on MP3, summaries of content units, interviews, book reports, etc. I even taught our grade level's part-time Title I assistant how to record and she helped some of my kids to record. I think this would be a great tool to use in the classroom and easy to implement.

Podcasting

I just used GabCast. It Worked!!! I'm so excited. This is going to be so great to use with my students. I really see this as a great way for my students to share with others. Since I teach 3 blocks of Reading/Language Arts I could do a Podcast performance of Block 2 and share it with Block 3. I can also share with other teachers, adminstration, and parents!

I am planning on using this with the kids tomorrow. They are going to share some of their poetry writings to create new episodes!!!

Here's my episode,giving a summary of my poetry unit to give some background information before my kids share their poems this week.

Gabcast! Mrs. Church's 5th Grade Class #1