Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Digital Porfolio


MD 400 has been a course in Educational Technology where I have learned about the ways of a Tech-Savvy world!  I have worked on projects over the past four weeks that run the gamut.  This "Taste of Technology", as I call it, has been an introduction course that will provide me with the support needed in my future classroom.  As I embark on Student Teaching this Fall 2011, I feel so much more prepared then I was a couple weeks ago.  To know and understand so many applications where I can use them to provide my students with easier ways to become more computer-literate, is an advantage I am happy to take with me!

Please go ahead and check out my Digital Portfolio, where you can learn more about my interests and focus as a Kindergarten Teacher Candidate for the School Year 2012-2013! Please come on back to my Blog and comment below to this posting on how I can improve my Digital Portfolio and what you liked most about it.  Constructive criticism is welcomed here. 

P.S. I hope you are enjoying a lovely dinner tonight... As I usually cook for our final class.  Let's all enjoy a virtual meal!! Mangia!

IConn Reflection


This is a photograph of a Kindergarten student in Australia.  As I researched on IConn students must be 5 years old to begin Kindergarten in Australia.  I have found that IConn has many resources that may be of use to me.  Not only do they have over 1,000 resources for a search in Kindergarten, but they also have many many more in science.  I believe IConn can help bridge the Digital Divide in Connecticut because everyone can have access to multimedia whether they belong to one town's library or another, or do not have access to a library.  If someone can get on the computer, in school or at work, they can be provided with this wealth of information when they need it.  I also feel that there will be more Digital Equality because there are no boundaries to who can or cannot view this information.  Students, no matter their socio-economic, racial, or ethnic background, will be provided with the same opportunities in education and information research capabilities as the students surrounding them in their own communities or across the borders of towns and cities in this state.

Information Problem-Solving Skills


We, as educators, should teach students information problem-solving skills because it will assist them in learning how to navigate around all the information they encounter in their lives, both inside the classroom and outside it.  There are so many sources of information, and even more that are incorrect sources.  Teaching students how to problem-solve can help them steer clear of resources that are unreliable or just wrong for them to use in their academic career or real-life experiences.  The Big6 helps students to look through information and place it into the appropriate categories, so that they can organize and present their ideas in a more effective and efficient manner.  This skill can be used in many applications across content areas.  As a teacher providing more avenues for students to use technology in more successful ways, it is important to go over these information problem-solving skills repeatedly, grade by grade, because students will need to maneuver around the internet to become well-adjusted researchers who can filter out what is not needed. It is said that there has been more information provided in this world in the last 30 years then the previous 5,000 years before that.  As a teacher, I hope to be bring a foundation to my students where they can rely on the skill set I provide to them and practice in my classroom.

Digital Divide Article Reflection

The Digital Divide is all around us.  It is the lack of education, access, and information provided to educators, students, and communities concerning technology.  The Digital Divide brings out the age-old relationship between "the Haves" and "the Have Nots".  It manifests itself in school districts across the globe where educators are unable to teach students or students are unable to understand how to use technology for their benefit.  As educators, we need to lend a helping hand to others who need support.  Just like performing community service in our local areas who need clothes, food, etc. NOW we need to also teach these people to understand how to use the technology that has been provided to work towards goals of literacy, test-taking, and overall comprehension.  This in turn can lead to self-sufficiency.
Some solutions to the Digital Divide are to reduce the cost of technologies (i.e. computer or smartphone) so that more people can have access to it.  Then there are some solutions that need to be worked on as a school district, community, or grade-level as whole.  This is made up of the following: 
1. Set Reachable Goals
2. Write Grants to the Government
3. Provide more Professional Development
4. After School Technology Programs

Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-Based Learning is when a teacher gives the central attention in the classroom to the students.  The teacher does not lecture, supply students with directions or provide detailed information about the lesson.  Instead the teacher provides the students with questions and opportunities to question the basic information for the lesson to go down the path that the students choose for their learning.  A great content area for this type of learning is Science and Mathematics, but really Social Studies and areas of Language Arts can work with this teaching strategy as well.
As a fieldwork/student teacher, I have used Inquiry-Based Learning in Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies lesson planning and implementing.  During my Seeds Unit in Science I worked closely with students to use the 5E Learning Cycle:
This model for learning works well with students, the only difficulties I had were based on students who I only worked with for a short period of time.  In my future classroom, I plan to use this technique and through many applications, I assume there will be more acceptance and excellence in an Inquiry-Based Learning environment.  This is because it allows students to think for themselves, really understand a concept without having to memorize, and work in a collaborative environment with their peers.

Inspiration can HELP students Organize Information...

Inspiration can help students organize information because it provides them with an opportunity to express their thoughts in a highly efficient way.  Just look at this sample, it depicts the uses of Inspiration "plain as day" so students can better understand the process.  Whether students are brainstorming, analyzing information (in language arts: characters, setting, etc.) or working on a comparing and contrasting list, they will love this application!  
I find Inspiration difficult to navigate, as I am a perfectionist, and it is hard to make each "bubble" exactly to my liking, but I feel that with more practice, I may overcome this hurdle!

eTips & UDL Reflection



Reflecting on Dexter's eTips article, the added value for the uses of technology can be linked to both in the classroom and school-wide environments.  Within the classroom, the value for technology has to do with individual student needs, like allowing them to see or hear their works for a better chance to edit.  As well as, having an audience where students can evaluate each other in a non-competitive way.  School-wide technology can be useful for staff, faculty, and administration because it keeps people connected even behind closed doors.  Overbooking a conference room or after-school event will be caught through an online calendar or school website.
This all links to UDL (Universal Design Learning) because UDL is the belief that all students should be provided with equal opportunities for learning with their best interests and styles at the forefront.  Students need to be encouraged to use a learning plan design for their individual needs where they can excel in every content area because they had the flexibility to use the medium that is best suited for them.
I believe that teachers need to work hardest in this area to provide students with the opportunity to succeed in the best way they know how to.  In this realm, Multiple Intelligences could be used to work with UDL and provide students with a safe place to work with technology and "add value" to their individualized curriculum!  

MP3 Article Reflection



I thought this article on MP3 Homework was fabulous.  To think about how we as educators can bring one of our students daily technologies (i.e. an Ipod or MP3 player) into the classroom is a great idea.  Students will be able to use a media they are comfortable with and connect it to what they are learning.
As a future World Language Teacher, this would be an excellent way to encourage students to learn the language and culture throughout their everyday lives.
I can see how useful this tool could be for students with special needs, as well.  Whether a student has a learning disability, behavioral disorder, or Visual or Hearing Impairment, an MP3 player could help with directions, reading stories or books, or even focusing on the task at hand.

Musica (Music) FUN for Kindergarteners!!





This song and cartoon video could be a great addition into your
World Language: Italian lessons.  Students can sing along with
the lyrics below.  "Una Casa Molto Carina" literally means
"A Very Nice House".  It is about a house that has no walls.
It is a cute way to teach students an easy and fun Italian Children's
Song because it repeats the same verse and chorus three times.
Students can work on mastering the following words:

        1.     Casa = House
        2.     Bella = Beautiful
        3.     Numero = Number
        4.     Via = By
        5.     Molto = Very
        6.     Non = Not
        7.     Cucina = Kitchen
        8. 
    Perché = Because
        9.     Si = Yes
        10.   Tetto = Roof


Here are the Lryics:



Era una casa molto carina, Senza soffitto senza cucina, Non si poteva entrarcdi dentro
Perché non c'era il pavimento, Non si poteva andare a letto, Perché in quella casa non c'era il tetto
Non si poteva fare la pipí, Perché non c'era vasino lí

Ma era bella, bella davvero, In via dei matti numero zero, Ma era bella, bella davvero
In via dei matti numero zero

(REPEAT 2X)

Non-Linear Powerpoint - Scuola Italiana (Italian School)


A Non-Linear Powerpoint is one that you can navigate through by clicking on the appropriate Hyperlinked Text or Images.  This is a great tool in any classroom to use for assessing students knowledge in a fun and exciting way for them to have a game in education.

I used my Non-Linear Powerpoint experience to indulge in my second lesson in teaching Italian vocabulary terms for the Kindergarten grade level.  Depending on your school's curriculum, you could use this Powerpoint and any of my other Italian Vocabulary ones to teach the Basic Italian Currciculum.

Unfortunately when I uploaded the above presentation to SlideShare, I was unable to keep it in the Non-Linear format because they do not have those capabilities as of yet.  Please click below to view it in its original format. (FYI: If you do not have Microsoft Powerpoint on your computer, you can download a free Powerpoint Viewer here.)



Check it out on my Website

Digital Storytelling - Robert Frost

This project was a group assignment using Photo Story 3 for Windows and Professor Horrigan asked us to use Robert Frost's poem, "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" to create a Digital Story.  It was pretty straight-forward for me because I have used this application in the past when creating videos for my Science Seed Glog.  The assignment became somewhat challenging when we realized that we only had about 20 minutes to find photographs, review the poem to voice record, add background music, and text.  We had some more difficulty with trying to get the background volume and our voice volume at the optimum levels.




"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening"

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost
New Hampshire
1923

Digital Storytelling - Maggie

This Digital Story was created in PhotoStory 3 for Windows.  It was a pleasure to produce.  I started this project by deciding to build a story book about one of my favorite people.  The subject is my niece who is 4 years old.  I also wanted to share some of my favorite part of my family's culture, the Italian Language.  

I wrote a children's story about a young girl who looks for adventure, pretend time, and laughter at her grandparents house.  I chode to write subtitles in English and then speak the story in Italian.  I used information from my fluent family members, Nonna & Papi (grandparents) and my fratello (brother) and also from Google Translator to translate my story.  

I collected photographs I shot of my niece from Sunday Suppers.  When I built the Digital Story I chose specific artistic applications to transform each picture into its own beautiful storybook page.  On the voice recording page, I was happy to find the button where I could quickly restart a recording when I made a mistake.  I had no difficulty (this time) when creating background music in a low setting.  

I would recommend this software to any teacher, colleague, or student.  I think it would be a great addition into my future Kindergarten classroom because it is simple and easy to use.  The students would be able to get there point across in a setting where their short stories could come to life.  One example, during the Seeds Unit, the students could use the photographs they took of their seed experiments growing stages and create a Digital Story.  And this could include one audio prediction on a title page, which could precede 3 photographs with an audio reflection on each.

My Teaching Philosophy

I will be dedicated to having my teaching make a significant, positive difference in my students’ lives. In my classroom, I will instill a “Love of Learning” within all my students; and will always show my personal passion for learning. The teaching in my classroom will be linked to a Multicultural Appreciation in an Eco-Friendly Environment.  Additionally, Educational Technology is an important aspect of my teaching philosophy.
I will support technology in my classroom with its ever-changing applications and current standards.  I will bring as many web 2.0 and multimedia sources to my young student population, as possible, to help integrate them into our Tech-Savvy world.  I would like to use OneMoreStory to incorporate a different type of Interactive Read-Aloud weekly.  My students will be able to experience influential actors reading books in a dynamic way.  I will implement a quarterly project at grade level including a Pen Pal program with a school across the Pacific Ocean, possibly using Wikispaces.  Also, students will have opportunities to explore technology in their own way through KidspirationPhotoStorySurveyMonkey, etc.
I will promote an Open Door Policy with parents, colleagues - and especially with my students. I will endeavor to build a Partnership with parents, one that will create a smooth transition for students between home and school. I believe in communicating with the parents and previous teachers of each student; and will be conducting informal student conferences. These tactics will enable me to gain a greater sense of the students’ attitudes toward learning. To develop an even better understanding of the students’ feelings while in my classroom, I will utilize Morning Meetings, Team Building/Community Activities, and Formal Student Conferences. My excellent listening and diagnostic skills will ultimately become a meaningful benefit to my students.
The First Six Weeks of School will be the most crucial days of the year. During this interval I will encourage my students to explore ideas and subjects through the proper use of just-right and look books, visual arts, technology, sensory and dramatic play. I will always be observing the students’ interests, behaviors, and interactions with their peers.
As I teach the wonderful youth of our community, I will steer-clear of demanding respect; rather, I will be focused on earning the respect of my students. In my classroom, I will lead students through a Guided Discovery of respect, trust, and caring.
My teaching approach will be student-focused; primarily dealing with their needs, through a solid understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. I will be risk-taking teacher, and will use out-of-the-box thinking to improve the students’ rate of learning. My approach for achieving above-norm learning in my classroom can be summarized as follows:
Student Interests + Teaching Creativity + State Standards = Effective Lesson Plans.
My strong, natural abilities in Organization, Attention-to-Detail, and Planning will enable me to produce an exceptional overall plan for the school year. At the same time, however, I feel that my flexibility and willingness to direct students to become lifelong learnerswill be an important component of my success in the classroom.
I will always be striving to be a more effective teacher - by using my free time to read, travel, and exercise. These three activities will keep me at optimum both physically and mentally; which will result in me bringing Positive Energy into the classroom.

Inspiration & Universal Design Learning

This project was created in Inspiration, an application where you can organize a visual thinking presentation.  Click on the image below to view my project about Universal Design Learning Model.  It is an account of the mediums for teaching, including the traditional and new, digital mediums.  This application is one of the more difficult applications I have encountered in MD 400.  It is easy to navigate but there are many different needs in each box's font, size, color, etc.  I would not use this application in my future classroom, but I may use it to organize information for colleague meetings, grade level planning, and professional developments.

Teaching Philosophy Podcast - MP3

Check out my Teaching Philosophy on my Website!!


Included in my Teaching Philosophy is a Podcast where I narrate my philosophy and it is accompanied by Johann Strauss Jr.'s Instrumental Waltz Medley.


It was fun to create this Podcast with the Audacity application.  Inserting background music was easy after researching for it on this Copyright Free Music website.


This project is an easy way to add in a tool for teachers or students with special needs. Additionally, as a teacher, you could Podcast an assignment with directions in a student's first language to "level the playing field" for an English Language Learner (ELL).

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

MD 400 - Educational Technology, Fairfield University Graduate School


What have you found useful?

Our in class lectures (professor’s one-on-one support), discussions, and graduate assistant have been invaluable to me in this course.  I have also found a lot of inspirational insight from my colleagues.  It is interesting to see how each person has a different viewpoint and can challenge me to work more diligently.  I have read through the assigned articles and readings and have learned so much in such a short amount of time.  Finally, the YouTube videos on Web 1.0, 2.0, and the changes in technology over the past decade were influential to my journey to become “Tech-Savvy”.



Challenging?

The most testing aspects of the course are trying to get every task, assignment, and project completed in our time constraints.  I would definitely recommend to prospective students to take this course during a Fall or Spring Semester.  That way they would have more time to perfect every detail of each task.  I would like to polish my work more, but I know that is this condensed course I must “put the mouse down” sometimes!


Frustrating?

I am frustrated with the time constraints.  When I start learning about a new program, like Photoshop, I wanted to ask so many questions but felt that there was no time to ask them all.  I will try my best to continue on my path and “soak up” as much knowledge as possible so that I stay away from becoming frustrated Tech-Teacher with students in the classroom.  I feel that maybe if this course was three nights a week for approximately 3 hours each including some lab hours prior to each meeting, may help in the future.


Rewarding?

The most rewarding portion of the program is accomplishing each task in the different applications.  I just completed my Digital Story and I am so proud and amazed of what my idea became.


Any great "Ah-Ha" that you might have experienced?
The “Ah-Ha” I have experience is that I am becoming Tech-Savvy, when I never thought I would want to or have the ability to.  It has excited me even more for my future Kindergarten classroom!

Hopes for the remainder of the semester?

I hope to make an impact on my colleagues in a positive way and gain as much knowledge as I can take in from them, Professor Horrigan, and Grad. Assistant Dan!

Monday, June 20, 2011

3 Digital Photos

 
Traveling in Seattle, Washington... 1 of my TOP 10 places to visit, the "Emerald City"! 


 Pre-reading a book for Literacy Curriculum course at Ester Sunday Supper.  Maggie is looking on so memorized for about 30 seconds!



 
Another wonderful Honeydew Day at Ikea with my re-usable bag... Think Green, PEOPLE!!

Wordle

Wordle is an online "Word Cloud" generator where students can express themselves through technology.  

I choose to create my own list of phrases about what I think it means to be a good person.  Wordle then generates the words into a visual depiction.  Wordle will edit your poem, phrase, or story by removing common words (i.e. the, it, is. etc.) and increasing the size of words used more often.

It took me about 20 minutes to create it, figure out how to save it as a jpeg (Thank You, Dan!) who described how to take a screen shot.  

In a Kindergarten Classroom, the teacher may use this site to make a list of characteristics for a story the students read in Reader's Workshop!

Cambria Grammar School

 
This video is the First Day of Kindergarten for a girl in Cambria, California.  She is attending Cambria Grammar School.  It is exciting to have a first-hand look at the classroom, teachers, and her fellow students. 
 
This is their Kindergarten Graduation.  It took place on June 2, 2011.  They learned about the Six Pillars of Character and received medals.  The Kindergarten students sang two songs, as well.  It is super cute!

It is thrilling to be able to peek in on the "Dream" school and classroom I would like to teach in in a couple years!  YouTube is a fantastic, technological tool for me to gain knowledge about people and places I can not see otherwise.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The Ant and The Grasshopper

The Aunt and the Grasshopper was performed in our first class of MD 400.  Photography by Hilary Martin, the Ant performed by Brooke Hoydick, and the Grasshopper performed by myself.  The challenge was to use a French "living picture" theatrical style, Tableau Vivant, to reenact the fable.  This classic tale provides a strong moral for young elementary students about the hard work needed to succeed in the classroom.  It is a fun way to inspire students to be creative and build a strong sense of community.
This is a great tool to bring into a classroom with students of all ages because it allows them to collaborate with their peers.  One student may be strong is theater or movement and another in organization or direction (Multiple Intelligences). This activity can help to "Break the Ice" or bring a fun transition into another school day.  

Monday, June 13, 2011

Mark & Daneen, "A Toast to the Bride & Groom"




























This process began with two photographs from my brother's Memorial Weekend wedding.  I wanted to share how special a tradition is to our family.  The night before their wedding, I presented Mark with a gift to honor our late grandmother, Margaret Francini.  I taped a penny in his right shoe (from his birth year) and a penny in his left shoe (from 1975).  Then, while I was getting ready the morning of the wedding, I presented Daneen with hers.  I taped a penny in her right shoe (from her birth year) and a penny in her left shoe (from 1975).

Here is a toast to the Bride & Groom... May you live a long, healthy, happy VITA (LIFE) together, always!

Creating this image on photoshop was an incredible experience.  It was nerve-wrecking and I felt a bit anxious because the photoshop program is temperamental and hyper-senistive.  I remember using it in Art & Photography school back in 2003.  I hope to practice and gain back my knowledge along with a lot more than before!

I know it will be an excellent resource in my future classroom!  Even though, Kindergarteners do not use technology that often, it would great to allow them to see it used in the classroom's SmartBoard.  maybe even use it to retell the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story in an innovative and creative way!