Virtual Classroom
What is a Virtual Classroom?
For this weeks blog I decided to write about an article that describes what a virtaul classroom is. Before starting I really had no clue what a virtaul classroom was or what capabilities it had.
The article states that a Virtual Classroom is private online space in Blackboard that teachers can use to support student learning. This is a great tool because it can be used 24/7 inside or outside the classroom. It can provide things like group and individual learning activities, discussions and chats with students, quizzes and surveys, homework activities, online courses, forums, and webquests. Students and staff are the only ones that can access the cirtual classroom.
I think that this technology is great for the classroom because it promotes learning outside of the classroom. It gives a student the ability to communicate with other students as well as check and post work. I am definitely a fan of any type of technology that allows students to work outside of the classroom. Sometimes people learn better at different times and their brain is more alert at and in different situations. This gives the teacher a chance to see if a student is learning better when not in the classroom setting. I also like the fact that it gives parents a chance to get involved in their childs school and learning life. It actually gives them the opportunity to be their own childs teacher outside of class. I think thats cool because parents always want to know whats going on and with this they can actually be a huge part of the learning experience!
Overall I think that this is just another great example of how technology is changing the classroom for the better. When I become a teacher I will definitely incorporate this into my class! I would like to know how well the students learn at their own pace with this technology. It would be very interesting to know how "far" they might go into a lesson or subject without the teacher watching over them.
Here is the article!:
http://education.qld.gov.au/learningplace/onlinelearning/virtual-classroom.html
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Apple Video Streaming Solution
Apple Video Streaming Solution
One network, many uses
This week I decided to blog about an article I read while doing a little updating with my ipod. This article, from Apple, talks about how streaming video can be used in the classroom. The article says that "Streaming video over your high-speed network is an outstanding way to leverage your investment and increase both student and teacher achievement". Basically rather than taking time to download video on the computer, streaming video is instantanious and is in real time so a teacher can use it right when it is happening.
In some of my observations this semester, I was blown away by all the technology being used in the classrooms. One of these was the use of streaming video. In one of the social studies classes a teacher was watching a news coverage of the Presidential campaigns and have students taking notes. In another class the school wa putting on a school news broadcast with students as the reporters. This type of techmology is definitely on the cutting edge and keeps the students attention. Instead of teachers having to check out tapes, that can become damaged, they can draw from a huge digital bank of lessons and cool study aids to help with the lesson or to just present info to broaden students perspective. Streaming video is also very cost effective in the classroom, eliminating costs of storage and storage devices. Its cool too because Apple Video Streaming Solution is eligible for federal funding under eRate and the No Child Left Behind Act.
I think that in the age we are living in today that teachers need to be on the cutting edge and educated on all forms of technology available. Its funny because after observing some of the classes I saw students further along with technology than some of the teachers. I think that streaming video is an excellent tool in presenting valuable lessons in the classroom and gives the class a chance to be connected to anyone, anywhere and at any time.
The only problem I see with streaming video is the cost involved in getting it set up. It seems that the start up costs might be a little pricey, but definitely is a good investment in the long run. I think that after seeing what I saw in my observations that this is would be a great tool in any classroom!
Heres a link to the article I read:
http://www.apple.com/education/it/videostreaming.html
One network, many uses
This week I decided to blog about an article I read while doing a little updating with my ipod. This article, from Apple, talks about how streaming video can be used in the classroom. The article says that "Streaming video over your high-speed network is an outstanding way to leverage your investment and increase both student and teacher achievement". Basically rather than taking time to download video on the computer, streaming video is instantanious and is in real time so a teacher can use it right when it is happening.
In some of my observations this semester, I was blown away by all the technology being used in the classrooms. One of these was the use of streaming video. In one of the social studies classes a teacher was watching a news coverage of the Presidential campaigns and have students taking notes. In another class the school wa putting on a school news broadcast with students as the reporters. This type of techmology is definitely on the cutting edge and keeps the students attention. Instead of teachers having to check out tapes, that can become damaged, they can draw from a huge digital bank of lessons and cool study aids to help with the lesson or to just present info to broaden students perspective. Streaming video is also very cost effective in the classroom, eliminating costs of storage and storage devices. Its cool too because Apple Video Streaming Solution is eligible for federal funding under eRate and the No Child Left Behind Act.
I think that in the age we are living in today that teachers need to be on the cutting edge and educated on all forms of technology available. Its funny because after observing some of the classes I saw students further along with technology than some of the teachers. I think that streaming video is an excellent tool in presenting valuable lessons in the classroom and gives the class a chance to be connected to anyone, anywhere and at any time.
The only problem I see with streaming video is the cost involved in getting it set up. It seems that the start up costs might be a little pricey, but definitely is a good investment in the long run. I think that after seeing what I saw in my observations that this is would be a great tool in any classroom!
Heres a link to the article I read:
http://www.apple.com/education/it/videostreaming.html
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Understanding the Podcasting Revolution
Understanding the Podcasting Revolution
By Alicia Bankhofer
For this week's blog I decided to write about an article I read about the Podcast revolution. The article starts off by talking about how the technology actually developed and goes on to discuss all the possibilities that it has and what the future might hold for podcasting. The article states that "Podcasting is a natural extension of the blogging phenomenon, which has continued to grow over the past few years. Many podcasters start out as bloggers, only to expand their platform further to the audio blog."
In the wave of expanding technology we as future teachers really need to be prepared and updated on new types of technology such as podcasting. Kids these days are so far more advanced than the past generations. They are finding newer and quicker ways to discuss everything from political views to their dating life. The use of podcasting in the classroom opens the door to these students to be able to use this technology in very creative and unique ways. As a teacher you can do anything from record a homework assignment or even podcast a lesson for students to listen to while working out or just lying in bed.
I just bought the new i pod video nano last month and boy was I impressed with all that thing had to offer. I actually started getting Joel Osteen podcasts and even started getting podcasts on learning a second language. Then I started thinking....why couldnt I use this in the classroom when I become a teacher? Its funny that this was this week's topic because I have been doing soem research on podcasting and its endless capabilities. My first idea is to use this to reinforce the days lesson by creating a weekly podcast that goes over the notes in some type of creative way (music, video, etc). I also have lots of ideas for students to participate in. All in all I am very excited about using this technology in the classroom and can't wait to see just how much it will improve by the time I graduate.
The only issue I see with this technology is being able to bridge the digital divide and provide this technology to lower income students. I do see this being a major concern and wonder if someday the school system would provide some sort of assistence or discount in getting i pods.
This was a good artice and you can check it out by clicking here:
http://ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/understanding-the-podcasting-revolution/
By Alicia Bankhofer
For this week's blog I decided to write about an article I read about the Podcast revolution. The article starts off by talking about how the technology actually developed and goes on to discuss all the possibilities that it has and what the future might hold for podcasting. The article states that "Podcasting is a natural extension of the blogging phenomenon, which has continued to grow over the past few years. Many podcasters start out as bloggers, only to expand their platform further to the audio blog."
In the wave of expanding technology we as future teachers really need to be prepared and updated on new types of technology such as podcasting. Kids these days are so far more advanced than the past generations. They are finding newer and quicker ways to discuss everything from political views to their dating life. The use of podcasting in the classroom opens the door to these students to be able to use this technology in very creative and unique ways. As a teacher you can do anything from record a homework assignment or even podcast a lesson for students to listen to while working out or just lying in bed.
I just bought the new i pod video nano last month and boy was I impressed with all that thing had to offer. I actually started getting Joel Osteen podcasts and even started getting podcasts on learning a second language. Then I started thinking....why couldnt I use this in the classroom when I become a teacher? Its funny that this was this week's topic because I have been doing soem research on podcasting and its endless capabilities. My first idea is to use this to reinforce the days lesson by creating a weekly podcast that goes over the notes in some type of creative way (music, video, etc). I also have lots of ideas for students to participate in. All in all I am very excited about using this technology in the classroom and can't wait to see just how much it will improve by the time I graduate.
The only issue I see with this technology is being able to bridge the digital divide and provide this technology to lower income students. I do see this being a major concern and wonder if someday the school system would provide some sort of assistence or discount in getting i pods.
This was a good artice and you can check it out by clicking here:
http://ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/understanding-the-podcasting-revolution/
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Digital Imagery in the Classroom Week 6
Digital Imagery in the Classroom
Paul Heinrich, November 2002. First published in "Connected 10".
The article I chose to write my blog about was using digital imagery in the classroom. The article first introduced the fact that this technology has been around for quite some time but its just been recently that cheap and reliable cameras have become available. The article talked about ways to use this technology in the classroom and gave some interesting findings on what types of pictures or images different age levels are interested in. This article also went into to some of the technical aspects of using this type of technology.
The use of photography and digital imagery in the classroom is a great way to teach students ways to learn or think outside the box. Its interesting to read that younger children, when given the opportunity to use photography, like to capture emaotionally stimulating pictures such as their parents and also visually stimulating pictures like bright colors. The fact that children at the age of only four are able to capture images and take photographs. This is amazing to me and just shows how far we've advanced in technology in the past few decades. The article talked about how older students (11 yrs old) started taking pictures of natural settings without people. Teenagers were more likely to use the camera for social events, capturing images of their friends. This technology can be used in so many ways in the classroom and gives the teacher a large array of options on how and when to use this to inhance a leasson.
In my opinion the use of digital imagery in the classroom is a newer cost effective way to stimulate students and to allow them to use a hands on tool to enhance the learning experience. I myself love the digital camera and couldn't put it down the first time I used one. I plan on using this technology a lot when I become a teacher and am excited about all the possibilities and creative options I can have with a digital camera.
I think it would be interesting to do more research in the use of this technology with different age groups. As a fan of psychology I found it very interesting to read about these different findings in the article and would love to do a little investigating myself.
You can read this article yourself by clicking on this link:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/heinrich/papers_6.htm
Paul Heinrich, November 2002. First published in "Connected 10".
The article I chose to write my blog about was using digital imagery in the classroom. The article first introduced the fact that this technology has been around for quite some time but its just been recently that cheap and reliable cameras have become available. The article talked about ways to use this technology in the classroom and gave some interesting findings on what types of pictures or images different age levels are interested in. This article also went into to some of the technical aspects of using this type of technology.
The use of photography and digital imagery in the classroom is a great way to teach students ways to learn or think outside the box. Its interesting to read that younger children, when given the opportunity to use photography, like to capture emaotionally stimulating pictures such as their parents and also visually stimulating pictures like bright colors. The fact that children at the age of only four are able to capture images and take photographs. This is amazing to me and just shows how far we've advanced in technology in the past few decades. The article talked about how older students (11 yrs old) started taking pictures of natural settings without people. Teenagers were more likely to use the camera for social events, capturing images of their friends. This technology can be used in so many ways in the classroom and gives the teacher a large array of options on how and when to use this to inhance a leasson.
In my opinion the use of digital imagery in the classroom is a newer cost effective way to stimulate students and to allow them to use a hands on tool to enhance the learning experience. I myself love the digital camera and couldn't put it down the first time I used one. I plan on using this technology a lot when I become a teacher and am excited about all the possibilities and creative options I can have with a digital camera.
I think it would be interesting to do more research in the use of this technology with different age groups. As a fan of psychology I found it very interesting to read about these different findings in the article and would love to do a little investigating myself.
You can read this article yourself by clicking on this link:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/heinrich/papers_6.htm
Monday, February 18, 2008
Using Animation as Demonstration Tool
Using Animation as Demonstration Tool
by Ron Kurtus (revised 11 July 2005)
We've all experienced it. You go on a website and all you see are banner ads blinking, scrolling and screaming for you to "click here". This week I've chose to write about an article I read about using animations on web pages as a demonstration tool. The article was rather short but I chose it because it really got my attention on why certain web sites use this type of technology. The article talks about four main reasons for using animations on your web page. These include draw attention, demonstrate something, entertain and assist in navigation. The article goes in detail about each of these and talks about how each has it's positives and negatives. It also gives some suggestions on how to use this technology to its highest potential and get the desired result out of it.
The use of animation on websites is a very valuable tool in designing material for students. First of all the use of an animation such as a pop up or blinking ad can grab a students attention and draw them into a particular part of the web page that the teacher feels like is important. It is very important though, as the article states, to not over due this. This could cause a student to lose focus on the main page. This technology also allows you to demonstate things. Software like Powerpoint can be used as a slide show to present material. There is also the use of entertainment. It can be important to entertain a student with a game or activity to mix it up in presenting material on a page, especially with the younger crowds. Lastly, using animation to assist in navigation is good to provide a student with info on a particular area of interest. This can be achieved by using the mouse over effect or hyperlink to another page.
I believe that the use of animation on web pages used for learning is key and can be done as creatively as the teacher wants it. This article really helped me gain some knowledge and future ideas about how I will use this in my classroom one day. One thing that I am going to use this info for in my creation of my VFT as well as any Virtual experience I create in my career. I personally like the use of the entertainment factor to use a game as a way to make learning fun and exciting. I think that you have to be very careful in the objectives of the game and not make it too distracting for a younger audience. All in all I think that the use of this technology is vital and this article has really helped me gain some creative ideas in my future classroom.
I think that it would be interesting to see just what age group responds best to certain types of the four areas this article discussed. Would younger kids be too distracted by flashing ads? Would older kids use hyperlinks to go too far into cyberspace? All of these would be useful in knowing how to create an effective web page.
This article was very informative and might be a good tool to use in the creation of your VFT. Here's where you can find it: http://www.school-for-champions.com/web/animation.htm
by Ron Kurtus (revised 11 July 2005)
We've all experienced it. You go on a website and all you see are banner ads blinking, scrolling and screaming for you to "click here". This week I've chose to write about an article I read about using animations on web pages as a demonstration tool. The article was rather short but I chose it because it really got my attention on why certain web sites use this type of technology. The article talks about four main reasons for using animations on your web page. These include draw attention, demonstrate something, entertain and assist in navigation. The article goes in detail about each of these and talks about how each has it's positives and negatives. It also gives some suggestions on how to use this technology to its highest potential and get the desired result out of it.
The use of animation on websites is a very valuable tool in designing material for students. First of all the use of an animation such as a pop up or blinking ad can grab a students attention and draw them into a particular part of the web page that the teacher feels like is important. It is very important though, as the article states, to not over due this. This could cause a student to lose focus on the main page. This technology also allows you to demonstate things. Software like Powerpoint can be used as a slide show to present material. There is also the use of entertainment. It can be important to entertain a student with a game or activity to mix it up in presenting material on a page, especially with the younger crowds. Lastly, using animation to assist in navigation is good to provide a student with info on a particular area of interest. This can be achieved by using the mouse over effect or hyperlink to another page.
I believe that the use of animation on web pages used for learning is key and can be done as creatively as the teacher wants it. This article really helped me gain some knowledge and future ideas about how I will use this in my classroom one day. One thing that I am going to use this info for in my creation of my VFT as well as any Virtual experience I create in my career. I personally like the use of the entertainment factor to use a game as a way to make learning fun and exciting. I think that you have to be very careful in the objectives of the game and not make it too distracting for a younger audience. All in all I think that the use of this technology is vital and this article has really helped me gain some creative ideas in my future classroom.
I think that it would be interesting to see just what age group responds best to certain types of the four areas this article discussed. Would younger kids be too distracted by flashing ads? Would older kids use hyperlinks to go too far into cyberspace? All of these would be useful in knowing how to create an effective web page.
This article was very informative and might be a good tool to use in the creation of your VFT. Here's where you can find it: http://www.school-for-champions.com/web/animation.htm
Monday, February 4, 2008
Storyboarding: Using Pictures to Teach Words
Storyboarding: Using Pictures to Teach Words
by Julie Williams
This week I decided to choose an article about how to help your child in their writing ability with storyboards. Storyboards are a very hands on way to help students organize or even brainstorm about what they want to say with a series of pictures or illustrations. The article talks about helping a third grader's struggles in learning how to write. It talks about how in first grade all teachers are trying to do is help put words on paper, but by third grade students are expected to come up with whole ideas and work on putting them down in logical ways. The author gives some wonderful suggestions and tips on how to help guide the writer into a more organized way of writing.
The storyboard is a great way of organizing ideas that has been used for a long time. Most of the time when a student, especially a younger one, has to write about something they might have a hard time organizing their thoughts and ideas. If a student is writing about a recent trip they may be so excited about all that they did that their ideas and thougths might be really jumbled around. This might even cause them to become restless and quit the whole thing due to their attention span being challenged. The storyboard is a wonderful tool in organizing all of the thoughts and details of the subject and put them into more of a logical pattern. It also can really help the students come up with all type of creative ideas that they otherwise might not even have thought of. This type of technology isn't just being used in the classroom but also its used by lawyers, scientists and all different types of business.
I believe that the storyboard is a great tool to use in the classroom with practically any type of age group. Even in my own studies, I have found that if I'm really excited to write about something my thoughts are all over the place and things start to run together. If I didn't have a way to organize my manic brain my work might come out in a unlogical way. I'm 29 years old, I could only imagine what the brain of an 10 yr old is doing. The use of the storyboard is, in my opinion, a very hands on way to help promote thought organization and really giving a student a way to think outside of the box.
After reading this article I definitely understand more about what a storyboard is and how it can be a very effective tool in the classroom. It would be interesting to see how well younger students can stay on topic and not let the drawing of pictures distract them from the writing. It would also be interesting to find out how high school students fare with using storyboards.
If you'd like to check out the article I wrote about feel free to find it here:
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Storyboarding_Use_pictures_help/
by Julie Williams
This week I decided to choose an article about how to help your child in their writing ability with storyboards. Storyboards are a very hands on way to help students organize or even brainstorm about what they want to say with a series of pictures or illustrations. The article talks about helping a third grader's struggles in learning how to write. It talks about how in first grade all teachers are trying to do is help put words on paper, but by third grade students are expected to come up with whole ideas and work on putting them down in logical ways. The author gives some wonderful suggestions and tips on how to help guide the writer into a more organized way of writing.
The storyboard is a great way of organizing ideas that has been used for a long time. Most of the time when a student, especially a younger one, has to write about something they might have a hard time organizing their thoughts and ideas. If a student is writing about a recent trip they may be so excited about all that they did that their ideas and thougths might be really jumbled around. This might even cause them to become restless and quit the whole thing due to their attention span being challenged. The storyboard is a wonderful tool in organizing all of the thoughts and details of the subject and put them into more of a logical pattern. It also can really help the students come up with all type of creative ideas that they otherwise might not even have thought of. This type of technology isn't just being used in the classroom but also its used by lawyers, scientists and all different types of business.
I believe that the storyboard is a great tool to use in the classroom with practically any type of age group. Even in my own studies, I have found that if I'm really excited to write about something my thoughts are all over the place and things start to run together. If I didn't have a way to organize my manic brain my work might come out in a unlogical way. I'm 29 years old, I could only imagine what the brain of an 10 yr old is doing. The use of the storyboard is, in my opinion, a very hands on way to help promote thought organization and really giving a student a way to think outside of the box.
After reading this article I definitely understand more about what a storyboard is and how it can be a very effective tool in the classroom. It would be interesting to see how well younger students can stay on topic and not let the drawing of pictures distract them from the writing. It would also be interesting to find out how high school students fare with using storyboards.
If you'd like to check out the article I wrote about feel free to find it here:
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Storyboarding_Use_pictures_help/
Monday, January 28, 2008
How Wikis Work
After opening up my week four folder I was very surprised to see the topic of this weeks blog- wikis. I consider myself to be pretty good on the computer but I must admit I've never heard of a wiki. After thinking about it I decided to find an article that was just about how wikis worked.
The article I chose is a pretty basic breakdown about what a wiki is and how it works. The article states that a wiki is just a place that allows a group of people to enter and communally edit bits of text, and can be viewed by anyone and even edited by anyone. After reading more and more I saw that the article was really combating a lot of common misconceptions of the wiki and it's overall technological contribution. It was really interesting to actually try out Wikipedia, the largest and most famous wiki, and actually do some changing to articles written. Behind it all though is community. Basically that is how the wiki is run and how it functions.
The effect that the wiki has on teaching and learning is still a little confusing to me. While the wiki is really just an opinion based place to find and input information it still might be able to give students the ability to correct and be corrected. One thing I found out is that the wiki is a relatively safe place to actually go, although one might think otherwise. The community is what pretty much governs the wiki and really protects students or anyone for that matter from porn or otherwise offensive changes.
Personally I don't think that the wiki is a good tool for teaching or students. I think it is great to use as software for a business or organization to add to and make better, but maybe not as good for schools. With that being said, I have to admit that it might have some advantages in the classroom. I like the fact that is a run by the community and students may be able to input information and be virtually corrected within minutes. I also like that a student can really get into the whole community thing and add their own ideas and opinions. It also may be a good place to brainstorm ideas and find links to related info. My biggest drawback is the ability for a student to research something and take what they find as fact. Even though corrections are made pretty fast, there is still the ability to get some wrong information. All in all I think that this technology is a good place to find a good mix of input, perspective and ideas but cannot replace fact.
I think that further investigation would be interesting due to the fact that the wiki is controlled by community. I think it would be interesting to see how the "community" reacts to certain controversial subjects. The article talked about George Bush's page and how so many people were inputting opinions every second. It went on to say though that the community eventually reached a neutrality. All in all I learned a lot of new info on the wiki but am still just a little skeptical.
If you would like to read more about how wikis work feel free to check it out at:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wiki.htm
The article I chose is a pretty basic breakdown about what a wiki is and how it works. The article states that a wiki is just a place that allows a group of people to enter and communally edit bits of text, and can be viewed by anyone and even edited by anyone. After reading more and more I saw that the article was really combating a lot of common misconceptions of the wiki and it's overall technological contribution. It was really interesting to actually try out Wikipedia, the largest and most famous wiki, and actually do some changing to articles written. Behind it all though is community. Basically that is how the wiki is run and how it functions.
The effect that the wiki has on teaching and learning is still a little confusing to me. While the wiki is really just an opinion based place to find and input information it still might be able to give students the ability to correct and be corrected. One thing I found out is that the wiki is a relatively safe place to actually go, although one might think otherwise. The community is what pretty much governs the wiki and really protects students or anyone for that matter from porn or otherwise offensive changes.
Personally I don't think that the wiki is a good tool for teaching or students. I think it is great to use as software for a business or organization to add to and make better, but maybe not as good for schools. With that being said, I have to admit that it might have some advantages in the classroom. I like the fact that is a run by the community and students may be able to input information and be virtually corrected within minutes. I also like that a student can really get into the whole community thing and add their own ideas and opinions. It also may be a good place to brainstorm ideas and find links to related info. My biggest drawback is the ability for a student to research something and take what they find as fact. Even though corrections are made pretty fast, there is still the ability to get some wrong information. All in all I think that this technology is a good place to find a good mix of input, perspective and ideas but cannot replace fact.
I think that further investigation would be interesting due to the fact that the wiki is controlled by community. I think it would be interesting to see how the "community" reacts to certain controversial subjects. The article talked about George Bush's page and how so many people were inputting opinions every second. It went on to say though that the community eventually reached a neutrality. All in all I learned a lot of new info on the wiki but am still just a little skeptical.
If you would like to read more about how wikis work feel free to check it out at:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wiki.htm
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