ebook

One major project we had to complete in my Into to Computers in Education class was creating our own ebooks. Basically, an ebook is an electronic book that students can read on the Internet. The book has audio, graphics, and moves at its own pace. This allows the reader to follow along as the author reads the book and helps the students identify words easier. We completed this project through the use of PowerPoint and our own imaginations. Ebooks help teachers work one on one with students. Instead of reading to all the students, the teacher can assign stories to each student at their own reading level. Now, the slower student can take the time to know the words and the faster readers won't have to be bored.

From this activity, I learned that technology isn't as hard to work with as I thought it would be. It could be because I have used powerpoint before and am more comfptable with it than any other program I used this year. There wern't any real challengs in completing this project other than the time it took to create my own pictures. I used Paint to make stick figures and I think they turned out well considering the program used. It took forever to make each person and I kept erasing body parts becuaseI was clicking the wrong button. But I took my time and eventlly figured out how each button worked until I finally created each picture I needed. Overall, I really think I understood this assignment better than any other assigment I have done this semester. I hope I can use this project in my classes to come and I am glad I learned how to create an ebook.

Thanks Krystle!!!

After reading Krystle Bull's comment on my Nine squares project, I felt like I was not alone. I really helps to know that others feel the same way as me. I really enjoyed reading her post because it meant that my words were being read!! She also made me fell great when she told me how she liked how I explained what I did for the assignment. She gave me a little bit of confidence when she said that. It was nice to see that she had the same problems as me because we might be able to work out our problems together next time we have an assignment. Kyrstle,Thanks for making me fell like I am not an idiot!!!

Podcasts in the Classroom

The article "Podcast for Free on a PC" explains why and how teachers should incorporate podcast into their classroom. The article begins by describing what a podcast is and some background on how it started. "A podcast at its simplest is an audio recording that’s available on the Internet. " The next section of the article is the most important, it is all about using podcast in the classroom. The author shares different options of using pod casts. From the simple beginners who can use a free program like Odeo Studio to record and upload podcasts easily in the classroom on their own website, or using a cell phone and Gabcast to record their podcast just by dialing a toll free number. The article also list many reasons why a teacher should even "bother"; explaining how students should use them to read their own stories and how Foreign Language to Biology teachers can use them in their class. The author also provides links to resources on the subject.

I think the use of podcasts in the classroom is a great idea. I learned that when I become a history teacher, I can use podcasts to "recording classroom discussions or lectures for absent students. " That is a great idea! I also believe that author provides a great deal of information that is useful to all different teachers. There are so many different benefits of using podcasts and the author list them well. Although the article was short, it possessed all the important information a teacher needs to start using posdcasts in their classroom.

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech/tech238.shtml

How to keep up with Technology

One of the major concerns I have with teaching with new technology is how teachers are going to be able to keep up with new, emerging technology in the classroom. I then read an article explaining why teachers are struggling. "From the university to the elementary classroom: students' experiences in learning to integrate technology in instruction" is an article that surveyed educators in the K-12 setting as well as the college setting to find effect ways to integrate new technology in a teacher-preparation curriculum. The article explains how most teacher-prep courses do not incorporate technology and that is what has caused the lack of knowledge in the classroom. There are programs that were created in order to help train teachers to work with computers like Preparing Tomorrows Teachers to Use Technology so many people do not think that more information is needed. The article then went into the specifics of the study. The study included 110 university students who were taking some type of technology class that was tied together with an education theme. They obtained their data through the use of surveys, participant observation, interviews, and student online discussion groups. The surveys had questions that focused on the student's "technology beliefs, technological proficiencies, teaching philosophy, use of technology for higher-order learning, and the opportunities for technology application during field placements"; while the interviews focused more one the students "personal experiences with technology, their mentor teachers' attitudes toward technology use, and computer configuration in their classrooms and the school sites."

From the data collected from the student participants showed that most students thought that their technology class had too much work. This could be a reason why so many teachers don't like to learn about technology, because it is so much work and they need that time to work on lesson plans and more. They also found that the students felt unprepared to begin incorporating technology in the classroom. Although they learned about how to use the hardware, they did not learn how to teach it to others. The students did however start to have a more positive attitude towards computers after taking the classes. It does give the students a little more confidence when they actually know something about the thing they are working on. The study suggest that teacher-preparation courses include "effective strategies for technology integration" in order to prepare teachers for the world of technology instead of throwing them out into a world they know little about.

I feel that this is a very important issue that must be addressed. I have a major concern with how I am going to use new technology in my classroom and with these types of programs that the study is suggesting to add, I think I would be a better teacher overall. I chose this article so other soon to be teachers could see that they are not the only ones that have problems with technology and that there are ways to help teachers, but only if we ask for them. I think teachers should demand more technology courses like the one I am in. Although most of the students do believe it is a lot of work, I believe it is worth the work for the knowledge. That is another reason why I chose this article. I want to show my peers in my Intro to computers in Education class, that this class is not a waste of time and is very important to becoming a great teacher!!!

Here is the link the the acticle http://find.galegroup.com/itx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=gale15690

A World Without Sound

When I went to Allan Park Elementary School, I observed a deaf pre-k class. I was shocked to see that all four students had hearing aids. Two even had implants into their head and when they wore the ear piece, they could hear many sounds. When I walked into the kindergarten class, the whole class of about 12, had speaker strapped on the stomach and the teacher had a wireless microphone like an actor would have on stage. This way, the students could some what hear what the teacher was saying while she was signing. This was a way to teach the deaf children to speak. The sound that was coming out of their speakers was loud and went into their hearing aid and ear pieces. I thought it was great how each student had their own speaker. I think they will really help the students learn to speak somewhat and use sign language. These pieces of technology are helping deaf students hear for the first time, even if they are unidentifiable sounds.

Nine Squares

Last week, the class was assigned, what I thought to be, one of the most complicated projects that I have ever worked on in class. For this project, that was titled, Nine Squares, we had to create a story board and a Digital Mosaic project and write them all on to a CD. The story board consisted of a word document with 2 columns and 9 rows. In the second column, I had to divided a story that I had written before about a significant experience that helped me choose to become a teacher into nine parts. Then we were to find and put nine pictures that correlated to each section of the story board. That was the easy part.

The next part of the assignment required me to record each individual section of the story using the audio program, Audacity. After recording the sections, I had to save them as a wave file. Then I had to create another word document where I inserted a 3X3 table. Inside each section of the table I had to insert the pictures from my original storyboard in a random order. After that was completed, I had to insert the recordings I had made earlier as hyperlinks into each corresponding picture. This created a listening game, so when students click on the picture to activated the recording of the specific part in the story. After listening to each one, students will be able to put the story in order from beginning to end, if I did everything right!

This assignment was one of the hardest one I have ever done because I had to work with technology that I had never used before. I had never known how to use a hyperlink, let alone insert them into a picture to create sounds!!! I had a great deal of trouble completing this assignment. Each time I attempted to insert the hyperlink, I failed. I could not seem to keep the hyperlinks working. After throwing away Cd's, I paused and thought about why it wasn't working. Then the answer hit me hard. I had to insert the sound files that were saved in the folder that was saved on the CD so that the hyperlink could grab the information that was saved on the CD as well. From this assignment, I found that as long as I stop, think, and take my time working out the problems, I am able to work with Technology!

Welcome to my blog!!!

HI. My name is Rebecca and I am a Sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University. I am currently pursuing a degree in Secondary Education Social Sciences. Basically, I want to be a high school history teacher. I want to welcome you all to my first blog ever. I am a little nervous using this new technology but that's why I have to take the class "Intro to Computers in Education" and learn how to use blogs. I do want to use them in my classroom, I'm just not sure how to yet. That is what I hope to figure out this semester. I hope you all enjoy my blog. Thanks!!