After Tool #11 Reflections

1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox? Briefly describe a particular activity that you will plan for your students using at least one of these new tools.

My favorite ones are Digital Storytelling, Delicious and Skype.

I would like to use Digital Storytelling with my 1st graders. They could do a slide show about themselves. They could talk about their likes and dislikes, their family, their hobbies, their customs, etc... I could involve the parents in this process. They could help guide their child in their project. At the end I'd like to invite the parents to view the end result. It would be nice to have a celebration for their hard work.

2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom?

I feel more comfortable using the different tools in the classroom. I will definitely put them in practice. Students love technology. They are surrounded by it and need to be exposed to it in school. We are all in this journey together. I'll also be learning as I teach my students.

3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?

I felt a little overwhelmed at first, but as I progressed through the tools I discovered I could conquer my difficulties. That gave me confidence to continue till the end. I actually enjoyed doing my slide show on Digital Storytelling and chatting with my daughter on Skype.

Tool #11 Digital Citizenship

To be good digital citizens the students should understand the following:

1.) Safety: Students need to be aware of possible danger online. They should not exchange information with strangers or give out personal data.

2.) Etiquette: Students need to conduct themselves appropriately when interacting with others on the internet. They should use proper language.

3.) Literacy: Students need to know that everything they read online is not necessarily accurate. They should verify the information.

4.) Learning Strategies: Students need to learn how to search through different websites. We want them to be able to discriminate websites that are appropriate for them to view and those that are not.

To teach about digital citizenship I would start by brainstorming with them. "Do you work on the computer at home?" "What do you do online?" "Do you have a favorite website?" I'd ask questions to lead up to the topic. "Is safety important?" "Why do you think so?" Do we need to be kind to people when we comment about their work online?"

After collecting their thoughts I would organize them in some type of graph.
As a finished product the students could get into groups and make their own posters and present it to the class. We could then post these around the computer lab for others to follow.

Tool #10 Exploring Mobile Technology And Apps

Applications I would use in class are the following:

Google Earth app - This was my favorite app I viewed! It's cool to watch it zoom in the location from space to a specific address on earth. The students will love the animation and will be more interested in geography.

Photoshop app - I would use this app to edit my pictures very easily after our field trips. Cropping, editing the exposure and saturation of the picture and have them ready to post instantly.

Hangman app - This would be a fun app to teach students on spelling and expanding their vocabulary. It would look great on an iPad which is bigger and could have a small group of students collaborating to discover the word.

Nasa app - Very interesting app providing videos and pictures of their missions in space. Unfortunately, it's too advanced for my first graders :( Would be great for 5th graders!!

Tool #9 Sharing Information Through Jing & Skype

I took a screen shot of the location of my favorite restaurant, "Churrascos" using Jing. I recommend this place. Their Latin American food is delicious!

One way I could use Jing with my students is recording a narration about historical figures and events. Also, a fun way to teach the students about geography, specifically the 10 states is by having them locate each state and create the screen shot as an assignment.

Skype is a great tool to interact with students from other countries and help our class learn a foreign language and a new culture.

Because of budgetary factors in Sherwood, I have been limited on field trip options. One of the places I would love to take the students is to the Space Center. I could use Skype to give them a virtual tour.

Skype can be used to demonstrate our science experiments giving access to other schools and/or their parents to view our live stream.

Skype gives more options to collaborate with other teachers on ideas and projects.

I installed Jing and Skype. I used Skype for the first time with my daughter. She has a Macbook with a built-in camera and I was delighted to see her live on screen. It was very easy to use!

Tool #8 Video Resources

I selected a video on respect to use when talking about mutual respect, one of our Sherwood Agreements. The students could sing it throughout the year to reinforce this life skills.




As we work on rhymes, I can select popular nursery rhymes such as Humpty Dumpty. Youtube is a great resource in finding videos that are helpful in our teaching.

Tool #7 Digital Storytelling

I created a Photo Story of my life in Paraguana Peninsula in Venezuela where I was born and raised. I included pictures of significance to me like places I visited frequently, the church where I was married and the grade school I attended and worked. I wrote out a dialogue to accompany the slide show, but the program isn't recognizing my voice. I attempted to download the slide show to the blog, but it isn't working either. Any ideas??

I enjoyed creating my video and I'm sure the kids will too. Digital Storytelling is an excellent tool for the teacher to introduce, summarize and review concepts.
The students could collaboratively write and create their own digital story to explain or review concepts too. They would learn how to research information, identify the main ideas, and summarize it in their own words. As the students create their presentations they are engaged in their own learning and will feel motivated. Because this is a collaborative effort students will be able to edit their classmates' writing, thus improving their reading and writing skills.

For my first graders, I would initially ask them to make a digital story on a topic that is personal and familiar to them. For example: Create a video on your favorite vacation place.

Tool #6 Wikis

The students could write a story collaboratively using the wiki tools.

We can also create a collaboration with another school in a different country! This would be a great opportunity for the bilingual program where students can learn other cultures while improving their vocabulary. Also, students would be motivated to know where their new friends are located taking a greater interest in Geography.

Wikis can be used for planning a school activity with my team instead of a chain of emails which drives me crazy!