I truly enjoyed creating my own website. I would like to have more control over what is put on my website, but to do this, I haven't found a free way to do it. I like my website becuase it is completely me. While there isn't a lot of background and color changes, that isn't how I run my classroom. I run my classroom to help prepare my 8th grade students for high school and the real world. While I get that you need to keep students engaged, they also need to recognize that life isn't always fun.
There are a few items that are coming soon on my website that I will continue to fix for next school year. While I see this as a great resource, I am not sure how many of my students or their parents would actually view this. Great in theory, but I am not sure about practice in my school.
Overall, I know that I could add more multimedia, but I feel like this assignment, is a growing product as you continue to grow as a teacher.
I hope that you enjoy the website.
http://mrsnewby2010.wikispaces.com/
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Content Video
While I enjoyed creating the content video, I wish that there was a way that I really knew how to edit and create beyond free editions of items. I think the one thing that I would have changed is the background in the actually shots that I took. Taking them at a soccer game allowed me to complete the video with something my students would enjoy, but the sound did make it harder to create an overlay of voice to read what was going on when the writing went up. The writing is also a little fast at points, but due to the length of the shots, that was unavoidable.
Overall, I loved creating this video and see me using it with my students next year. For the students that will need more time, I will create a still shot or a few from the movie clips to have them on paper to create thier exampes of prepositions.
I am still unsure if the music clip would work but with royalty free, this was the longest clip I could get, then just had to reenter, so it is not perfect, but the music that fit the best to my liking.
Overall, I loved creating this video and see me using it with my students next year. For the students that will need more time, I will create a still shot or a few from the movie clips to have them on paper to create thier exampes of prepositions.
I am still unsure if the music clip would work but with royalty free, this was the longest clip I could get, then just had to reenter, so it is not perfect, but the music that fit the best to my liking.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Digital Data
This past week, I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to get in touch with the correct people at the district trying to find out how IISD stores, organizes, and protects digital data.
Out of the four people that I have tried contacting, only one has contacted me back. I have found out that IISD does a lot to store digital data. This comes as a surprise becuase we have had issues in IISD with breach of confidentiality on teacher's side with financial aspects.
The person that contacted me back dealt with how our district handles secure testing materials with our online curriculum system. Our district specifically makes sure that with our digital data that it is protected. Within our Testing Program each teacher is only able to see only thier students materials. There are sections on the program that also allow for the information of complete school, but with no specific information on any students. Each teacher and student has a specific login and ID that are required to be changed every three months.
Storing our digital data is on a remote server. Confidentiality within our district is important and everything is serviced through passwords.
I was dissapointed in the fact that I tried through multiple channels for days to get the information, but was not available for comment.
Out of the four people that I have tried contacting, only one has contacted me back. I have found out that IISD does a lot to store digital data. This comes as a surprise becuase we have had issues in IISD with breach of confidentiality on teacher's side with financial aspects.
The person that contacted me back dealt with how our district handles secure testing materials with our online curriculum system. Our district specifically makes sure that with our digital data that it is protected. Within our Testing Program each teacher is only able to see only thier students materials. There are sections on the program that also allow for the information of complete school, but with no specific information on any students. Each teacher and student has a specific login and ID that are required to be changed every three months.
Storing our digital data is on a remote server. Confidentiality within our district is important and everything is serviced through passwords.
I was dissapointed in the fact that I tried through multiple channels for days to get the information, but was not available for comment.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Classrooms of the Future
In the future, classrooms will look nothing like they looked like a decade ago, or even what they look like today. As teachers, it is our job to make sure that we are preparing ourselves in technology so that we will be able to teach it.
My dream of the classroom of the future would start with hardware. There must be a one to one ratio with regards to students and laptops. From there, we must be able to provide a way for free wireless internet in the schools and easy access to their homes. While this is a costly adventure, if we want our students prepared for life, they must have these skills.
They also need acess to software that is required for courses. This must be free or very inexpensive if we want technology to be integrated. Today we have Open Office, which is a free document provider, but it is not the same as Microsoft, while they are similar, students need to know how to use the free as well as the paid options.
Every classroom needs to become as close to paperless as possible. With a 1:1 ratio, students will have access at their fingertips to turn in assignmetns and to provide the teacher with what knowledge that they know.
The classroom of the future also has to be able to deal with the pitfalls of technology. They need to be taught how not to steal, hack, or plagarize. This should be the main goal of the teacher, that while we should incorporate technology, our students need to know how to properly use that technology. As cybercrime is become more and more prevelant with K-12 students, they need to know the seriosness behind these crimes.
As for projects of the future, everything should be based around technology. Students should be making movies, podcasts, blogging, and using any new Web 2.0 feature that has been created. This has to have the other hardware as well, but I see the future classroom with no needs for wanting technology.
Classrooms of the future while looking different, I think will also look the same today. Some teachers will implement technology and some won't. Teachers need to be able to see the significance of technology as our world moves to a completely online society.
My dream of the classroom of the future would start with hardware. There must be a one to one ratio with regards to students and laptops. From there, we must be able to provide a way for free wireless internet in the schools and easy access to their homes. While this is a costly adventure, if we want our students prepared for life, they must have these skills.
They also need acess to software that is required for courses. This must be free or very inexpensive if we want technology to be integrated. Today we have Open Office, which is a free document provider, but it is not the same as Microsoft, while they are similar, students need to know how to use the free as well as the paid options.
Every classroom needs to become as close to paperless as possible. With a 1:1 ratio, students will have access at their fingertips to turn in assignmetns and to provide the teacher with what knowledge that they know.
The classroom of the future also has to be able to deal with the pitfalls of technology. They need to be taught how not to steal, hack, or plagarize. This should be the main goal of the teacher, that while we should incorporate technology, our students need to know how to properly use that technology. As cybercrime is become more and more prevelant with K-12 students, they need to know the seriosness behind these crimes.
As for projects of the future, everything should be based around technology. Students should be making movies, podcasts, blogging, and using any new Web 2.0 feature that has been created. This has to have the other hardware as well, but I see the future classroom with no needs for wanting technology.
Classrooms of the future while looking different, I think will also look the same today. Some teachers will implement technology and some won't. Teachers need to be able to see the significance of technology as our world moves to a completely online society.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Videos
I love that we got to create videos. It was a little difficult for me to do it at first. I have a Kodak video camera that only downloads as MOV's so it wouldn't go into Movie Maker. I then got my trusty Nikon Cool Pix and took the shots.
Overall, Movie Maker is easy for me, but I did stress over the different shots that we were expected to take.
I am still stressing about my next video on content, becuase I am so unsure of what I am going to do for that too.
Overall, Movie Maker is easy for me, but I did stress over the different shots that we were expected to take.
I am still stressing about my next video on content, becuase I am so unsure of what I am going to do for that too.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
GeoTech 2010
First and foremost, WOW! I had so much fun today and learned so many things that I wasn't aware of before today. I am kind of sad that I won't be here Saturday with you guys! Melinda was with me today and we went to the same sessions, so I am looking forward to see what she posts about today as well. I went to two different sessions (only offered two today) one on intro to GIS and one on Literacy in the classroom.
Intro to GIS:
This is all about Maps! I loved it, even as an English teacher. There are a lot of cool free items that you can use and I will add those later, but wanted to let you know that as a history teacher, this is something you should definately think about. As an English teacher, I will use the maps to work through literature. There are also a lot of science themese that are talked about in literature that will be dealt with that students are not always sure of.
Literacy:
A lot of the information wasn't new to me, but allowed me to think of multimedia in a different format. Don't use technology to add more to your work schedule, but do something different with what you already do. I think what I learned that I want to do more about is a digital portfolio. I feel like this is the one thing that I have slacked about in my career. I am also thinking that I will be doing more for Wiki spaces in my classroom to prepare for next year with my students. We have new curriculum coming out next year and that leads to a lot of new items that I want to make available for my students.
Overall, a great day at GeoTech and looking forward to tomorrow!
Intro to GIS:
This is all about Maps! I loved it, even as an English teacher. There are a lot of cool free items that you can use and I will add those later, but wanted to let you know that as a history teacher, this is something you should definately think about. As an English teacher, I will use the maps to work through literature. There are also a lot of science themese that are talked about in literature that will be dealt with that students are not always sure of.
Literacy:
A lot of the information wasn't new to me, but allowed me to think of multimedia in a different format. Don't use technology to add more to your work schedule, but do something different with what you already do. I think what I learned that I want to do more about is a digital portfolio. I feel like this is the one thing that I have slacked about in my career. I am also thinking that I will be doing more for Wiki spaces in my classroom to prepare for next year with my students. We have new curriculum coming out next year and that leads to a lot of new items that I want to make available for my students.
Overall, a great day at GeoTech and looking forward to tomorrow!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Teacher Tube
This week has been a rough week at school. I have dropped my failure rate by 40% in the last three days and am exhausted. I told my husband that I needed this weekend to catch up on my Master's classes. Now that the last student has left my classroom, Audacity is done, I know get to look at video's. I love teacher tube, because it allows me to find videos that I can use in my classroom that are appropriate and remind me of my childhood growing up in classes.
I am originally certified in ACSI with 6-12 in English, History, and Bible. For me, teaching English is only as fun as when it can be taught in context. History by far is a love in my life, and this video is one that can be used to build cross-curricular lessons with English and History. History for the content and English for the Rap.
Enjoy!
I am originally certified in ACSI with 6-12 in English, History, and Bible. For me, teaching English is only as fun as when it can be taught in context. History by far is a love in my life, and this video is one that can be used to build cross-curricular lessons with English and History. History for the content and English for the Rap.
Enjoy!
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