Oh where, oh where are my memories....

Stepping back to see all of the ripping and running you have done can be quite refreshing. As a toddler, I always wanted to be on the go and socialize with everyone I saw. I wanted to go from state to state letting people get a witness of my personality. As I started my life's journey, I became aware of the different things that held its own significance compared to another. I received valuable memories that I took from each place. When I came to a standstill, I was happy with how much I accomplished. When I took the tile of a teacher, I wanted my students to feel that same way about thier journey. Google maps offers a way for you to track your progress and the various places you have been to. Each point represents a memory that only makes you smile. Students that create a map similar to mine will grasp the same effect if they attach a memory to each. It acts on prior knowlege and gets them to provide details for thier memory. A project can be implemented where students place a point where they have been or are going to go. They can show this map to others through a presentation and have students answer questions formed by the presenter off of the 12 power words. It establishes critical thinking and is a great way to see how many places you have touched throughout your lifetime.

This state has been "SCRATCHED!"

Creating stories has never been such a hands on tool until you have been "scratched." After you have been scratched, you will soon realize how great it is to experience such a tool. This program has given students the ability to be creative when it comes to making their own story whether it is one or two slides. The breakdown of the program lays out the purpose of this program and how it can directly effect the students. It helps produce 21st century skills that students need to be cognizant and afloat. It speaks to the idea of just equipping students with the reading and writing capabilities. This program interweaves more into the minds of students by getting them familiar with operating a variety of media and piecing together different variations to produce one product. The critical thinking that students will be exposed to make for a challenging experience. I could see my students using the program for a project on details, implications and inferences. By putting together a small story with few details to see, they have to rely on the setting and possible character to formulate more ideas. It allows them to first create and then discuss about the way they see things playing out. This will be a great persuasive tool to present before our administration so that we can get more laptops in the classroom. With more laptops come more opportunities to explore scratch and prezi.  Everyone who enters this state will immediately be "SCRATCHED."

"Branding" a NEW Strategy

Promoting various types of media in the classroom has been the outline for teachers. When we get together to plan or begin something new, we get into a huddle and break with the idea of letting students see the same reading strategy, or literary element in a different light. Pushing technology is a way of adapting to a new generation that has far more expectations with better technological devices at their finger tips. They are expected to know how to do more and the bar only gets higher with each passing year. If budgets allow, administration will do everything in its power to give teachers the best educational tools. The problem lies therein because of the all-important goal of raising test scores, every product that is branded will be pursued by education even though it may not be beneficial for the classrooms. In the article "Privacy in the age of Facebook," the loopholes that people go through just to worm their way into the lives of others speaks to some flaws in technology. While this message speaks to the idea that this type of deception is evident, branding for a new device in the school system can send the same message. The deception and the thievery of a device and its inability to get a child to think can be the same flaw as a security breach because a child's ability to analyze things can be taken away with every little gadget at their disposal. Our technology can take off when used properly. It is a struggle with some to take part, but others flourish with it. Getting everything that looks good is not a need because it just keeps adding on to the things we let collect dust while wasting money in the process. Branding technology has its benefits, but only if the type of branding features a key that will really benefit our future leaders.

Picturesque with a touch of "STYLE"

When a teacher is stuck with finding a way to introduce material to a class, it is an overwhelming decision by many teachers to scour the web, or use the intuitive minds that have been hard at work, for a PowerPoint presentation. This adds security and puts a teacher at ease because this is a simple system that has worked before and gives the teacher a sense of mastery because they can work the ends and outs of Microsoft PowerPoint. A useful tool, but at times it is a little outdated. The turn of the century called for new means of introducing materials and with all of the bright ideas, PowerPoint has easily been replaced by other means of technology. Allowing students to see things clearly through artful presentations can make for a nice lesson. My journey has started with Microsoft PowerPoint and slowly transitioned to Prezi. Prezi was introduced to me by a colleague who used it for her undergraduate class. That coupled with the mention of Prezi at a middle school conference found me exploring with it. I began to become more fluent in my uses of it while abandoning PowerPoint.  One of my first Prezi's featured a story we read called the Amigo Brothers. It really caught their attention and it gave them insight about the characters before reading, during and after reading. Podcasting is still an experiment in its trial stages, but it makes for a great way to feature episodes. Students have free range in how they want to put their spin to it. All three types of productions can help students see things that may not be visible if they jumped straight into a book. 

THE MAGIC WORD: STORIFY

When you think of the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words," it really holds true because pictures represent more than just words. They represent feelings and thoughts that a reader has when glancing at the image. Students will either read a book when asked to or not, but looking at pictures seem more enticing. A new way of looking at stories has emerged through Storify. This tool has become the newest story teller that technology has given classrooms. Taking a topic and getting different views on it via Facebook, Twitter, Google act as a critical aspect that allows students to think. In my project, Presidential Campaign, the idea of words has taken a back seat to the pictures which represent more to the eye of a student. Studying faces and movements give students a sense of symbolism and possible characteristics. It allows them to form vivid images by combining pictures and words. This powerful combination is one step in transforming the classroom into a place that every child wants to be. 

Weebling around and around and around

The creation of websites seem to be growing on people and in the continuing realm of education, teachers are becoming crafty in constructing a website that caters to their needs. With so many websites to try your hand in, it resembles a buffet with each dish filling you up with its own goodness. Weebly is one that I recently tried and it has produced some intriguing results. Despite some minor issues with cost, it seems to be one that can really help anyone looking to start a website. The templates are unique and the details that are implemented make for a nice site for onlookers. While some people are mired in other ways of organization, Weebly can keep the teacher organized as well as keeping them on their toes about updating information. It is similar to Blackboard because of the things that could be displayed. Blackboard seems to be a universal key that we all have used in order to open the doors to a respectable grade in our classes. Blackboard holds syllabus' and grades, lectures and also helpful websites that can be revisited. Blackboard is a model that I go by when trying to create something similar to it. Weebly gives the same concept, but without payment, you are restricted to certain tags and material. Not that much freedom goes into Weebly, but it is a project that one can delve into if they want to explore their creative minds.

Googlizing States (part II) "Follow Up"

One thing that I am astonished with is the idea of a multi-faceted lesson plan. Not only can you work on it from the comfort of your own home, but you can allow for others to join in on the fun. It takes away from the idea of seeing people in person to get a task done. Being in various parts of the world is not a hinderance anymore. It adds a little excitement and symbolizes the advancement of technology. If teachers planned together on Friday's for the next week, this allows them to do it from anywhere in the buildling. One can eat something and CRUNCH real loudly while still working with a partner on completing the much needed task. I love the Google Docs and since I was introduced to it, I can't seem to stop. It is a great tool for kids who are working on a document in pairs. Both can be at home and not have to worry about meeting up at the library with thier partners if they have google docs. They can still get the assignment done together while in seperate places. This is one of many things Google Docs is extoled for. The Google chat is also a useful tool. This gives you the facebook, or twitter feel while working on a document. You have 3 or 4 uses in one program. The idea of Google is catching on and the Goggliness of this technology will make the world google for technology.....