Week 7 PLE Post

1. What is the role of technology in creating dynamic experiences for my students?

Technology can be fun with its impressive hands on and entertaining style of learning. It can get the students excited about learning something they thought they didn't have any interest in. In addition to excitement, the involvement that happens with technology can aide in teaching reading, math, and writing, just to mention a few, and all of a sudden it doesn't seem like work. Wow, now that is dynamic!

2. What are some ways that technology might detract from learning?

One of the biggest ways technology can detract from learning is if it is misused. The ease of access to improper material or time wasted on too much entertainment can be a temptation for many young students.

3. What are three examples of effective technology use that I have used or experienced?

For Sheila Reynolds are these statements true or false?

Google Earth is an exciting tool that motivates one to learn more....TRUE

Digital story telling is a clever way to disguise learning as fun.....TRUE

A blog is a great way to keep track of all one is learning, from thoughts, assignments, other classmates, and teacher information...............TRUE

Would you believe I have learned all these new technologies in my IP&T class? It's true, I have. It has only taken less than six weeks to discover a whole new technology world.

Week 6 PLE Post

1. Other sensory experiences that might enhance a virtual tour are: Touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste. For example, let's take a virtual field trip to a string instrument shop where violins, violas, cellos, and basses are made.
It would be fun to virtually travel to different places around the globe to see where they are located and how they are set up including a guided tour through one of them. Now let's include some other senses: Touch (raw wood used to make violins could be brought in to be explored). Smell (varnish and wood stains could be brought in to get the smell of what a real violin shop would smell like). Sight (carving tools for the children to look at, and a real violin or other string instruments to see). Sound (a musician to play live music on a violin, viola, cello, and bass....a string quartet...now that would really enhance the listening experience). Taste (not a lot that needs to be tasted for this experience).

2. Virtual field trips that I downloaded and watched were: The 7 wonders of the World- I liked that it was the natural wonders and I learned about a few I did not know existed. James and the Giant Peach- I loved this idea. Children's books are one of my favorite past times and I would not of thought to use one for the idea of a virtual field trip. I had fun. Pearl Harbor WWII- I have been to Pearl Harbor and it is quite the experience to be there in person. This tour did a nice job touching on some of the main events that happened. It can't replace the actual experience going, but very thought out.

3. The plus side of a virtual tour in the classroom is..... money is no object! As a teacher you would have the opportunity at your fingertips to show and teach students about almost anywhere in the world. The downside to a virtual tour would be the simple fact that nothing can replace the real deal. Seeing a cow pasture with cows in it is a completely different experience then being in the cow pasture with the smell, touch, and sounds of what it is really like. So, as a teacher every lesson would not be replaced with a virtual field trip, but it would enhance the learning of places you know you could never take your students to.

Google Earth Activity Sheet

Digital Story Telling: "Writing Time With Hunter"

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

Week 5 PLE Post

Google Earth is a crowd pleaser at my house. The simple features of zooming in and out, swiveling and rotating, and changing views from flat to aerial entertain both myself and my 5-year old daughter. My son enjoys some of the more complex features like actually flying to a location. Together we have enjoyed Las Vegas where we use to live, Australia where Mom was a missionary, Philadelphia where Dad was a missionary, and Paris where we some day want to go.

I think in a classroom setting it would open the world for children. Discovery is a seed when nurtured, can grow into beauty one never knew existed.

Review of storyboards

The storyboards that I visited and made comments on were: Andrea Smith, Karly Allen, Becca Blair, Haley VandeMerwe, and Anne Yamashita. I enjoyed seeing how out of one class assignment there could be so many different ideas. I think one of the greatest challenges is coming up with an idea. I think once an idea is found everything begins to fall into place. Lots of practice in making digital stories would need to occur in order to use the skill regularly, otherwise its just too stressful.

Week 4 PLE post

So far my son who is 8 years old has been the recipient of all my new found technology knowledge. He is loving (mostly loving, except when I hog the computer) that his mother is getting up to speed on the computer world. I have shown him my blog and wiki both of which he has security concerns over others having access to this information (cute huh). Also, the movie making digital stories have really excited him and after Mom finishes her assignment for class he wants to make one. Sharing this information with him is most rewarding not to mention very impresive how quickly he picks it all up.