I am tired--but excited! There are too many things that I learned to list what I received from each one. Besides, there's too much to go back to that I didn't explore as fully as I would have liked. Kudos to the staff for offering true diversified learning instead of the follow-me that I received in other technology courses. Yes, Yes, Yes, I would enroll in another course of this type.
In six weeks (that seem short now that I'm finished) I have reconnected with my extended family through Facebook, I have created documents through Google Docs to use next year, I have started a wiki to share with my fellow math teachers on our campus, I have found a plethora of sites where I can connect with Special ed. teachers or math teachers to help with diversity in my classroom, and I know where to go to get help or inspiration when I need it. That's just a small part of what I will take with me from this course
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Thing #23
I think I may have enjoyed this "thing" the most and you can color me surprised. In joining Facebook, I have more mail than I can say grace over in just 24 hours. I can't believe that it actually excited my children, sister, and various and sundry cousins. I haven't even told them all that I'm on yet!
In the 23rd thing, I found that Facebook has groups of teachers that I can collaborate with to further my technology skills or to share classroom resources or tips. That will be easy to keep up with--can't wait to join a group.
I'm still waiting for my membership in Classroom 2.0 to be approved, but that site also has groups that would be fun to participate in.
I'm still thinking about how to use these sites with my students. I've toyed with the idea of inviting my students to join me on Facebook. I can see how this might help me connect to them on a level other than the classroom thus helping to build relationships. I can also see how I might come to regret the action--we'll see. Again, there are sites on Facebook that will give me suggestions on how to involve my students.
In the 23rd thing, I found that Facebook has groups of teachers that I can collaborate with to further my technology skills or to share classroom resources or tips. That will be easy to keep up with--can't wait to join a group.
I'm still waiting for my membership in Classroom 2.0 to be approved, but that site also has groups that would be fun to participate in.
I'm still thinking about how to use these sites with my students. I've toyed with the idea of inviting my students to join me on Facebook. I can see how this might help me connect to them on a level other than the classroom thus helping to build relationships. I can also see how I might come to regret the action--we'll see. Again, there are sites on Facebook that will give me suggestions on how to involve my students.
Thing 7b
While visiting my google reader, I found an article on what to expect when the court begins to examine Arizona's immigration stance. I'm sure many Americans are like me--confused. According to the article, the Supreme Court has already ruled that "federal authority can pre-empt state law when the federal interest is dominant and where there already exists a system of federal regulations."
I have wondered why there was such a big deal and the article went on to say that it doesn't matter that the federal government hasn't done a good job in enforcing the immigration laws, it only matters that the laws are in place.
I look forward to hearing the news today.
I have wondered why there was such a big deal and the article went on to say that it doesn't matter that the federal government hasn't done a good job in enforcing the immigration laws, it only matters that the laws are in place.
I look forward to hearing the news today.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Thing #22
MySpace and Facebook are areas that are so foreign to me that I always think "what's the point?" My children, my sister, my sister-in-law all wanted me to join so I guess I'm glad I did for that reason. I have to admit, though, that the first thing I did was Google the security issues which were huge--kind of scares me. Also, I find it kind of scary for people I went to high school with 40 years ago to find me--what could we possibly have in common? I'm one of those people who went to 12 schools before I graduated high school--I'm used to moving on.
I'm not sure I would want to use either of these social networks for my students in teaching math. I really feel that too much time is wasted in a day with these sites--much like gaming. My children tell me of students who spent so much time on these sites that they failed out of school. The one useful feature I found on facebook (and I assume MySpace has the same feature) was the ability to connect to other special education teachers.
I'm not sure I would want to use either of these social networks for my students in teaching math. I really feel that too much time is wasted in a day with these sites--much like gaming. My children tell me of students who spent so much time on these sites that they failed out of school. The one useful feature I found on facebook (and I assume MySpace has the same feature) was the ability to connect to other special education teachers.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thing #21
Thing 21 was interesting and I found that I had already started a calendar for my summer classes so I just finished it--daunting schedule! I had also used Picassa when I did the pictures for my collage and slide show. I got into iGoogle and made a web page but would really like to spend more time with it and see how I might customize it more. It has more "junk" in it than I would like.
Google has a lot of tools--some good and some not so good. As a teacher I will definitely use the Picassa tool and add more and more math pictures to use in math papers that I create. I'm really scared any more of using student pictures for anything. The calendar will come in handy next year in lieu of a hand written copy. I wish I had my printer here at home so I could print some of these things to see what they look like offline. IGoogle is just fun and it may be fun to have it come up--I can see the temperature and any breaking news before I come home in the evening.
Google has a lot of tools--some good and some not so good. As a teacher I will definitely use the Picassa tool and add more and more math pictures to use in math papers that I create. I'm really scared any more of using student pictures for anything. The calendar will come in handy next year in lieu of a hand written copy. I wish I had my printer here at home so I could print some of these things to see what they look like offline. IGoogle is just fun and it may be fun to have it come up--I can see the temperature and any breaking news before I come home in the evening.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thing 20
This "thing" will eventually be useful but will take some work to find everything. In my profession of teaching math, I don't create very many word documents. I tried creating a math worksheet and could not find the math symbols (I assume they are there somewhere). Finally, I decided to work on my teacher letter that goes home with the kids on the first day of school. I used a newsletter template and it looks alright for a first draft. I'm sure something will need to be changed before it's time to send it out.
I was really disappointed that I could not embed or link the page to my blog and I'm not sure I should have copied/pasted.
The newsletter application was great because it would have taken a special program for me to do it in Word. I will probably use the spreadsheet to track the academic progress for my students. I can also see using excell spreadsheets to track money and permission slips for field trips. That was the one collaborative use I could think of--each teacher on the team could input the data into the document for the students in her home room instead of having to take all the information to the team leader to input.
And, yes, it was very time consuming--but, interesting.
P.S. After viewing this blog post, I see why cut/paste is not a good thing to do. The formatting isn't compatible. Ah Ha!!
Welcome to Mrs. Peters' Basic Math Class
August 23, 2010
News Flash!We use calculators in our class. Your student will have homework and will need a calculator for homework. Please do not buy an expensive calculator! If it will add, subtract, multiply and divide, it will be adequate. Walmart usually sells them for under $5.00. They will also use a calculator on TAKS. School Supplies There won't be a lot of supplies to purchase for my class. Mostly, each student should have a pencil every day. Not having a pencil was quite a problem last year. Students will also need paper for every class. I do not purchase tissue. I hope that each student can bring a box. Lastly, each student is expected to have a binder with index tabs to hold information for all their classes. Inspiration!GO MCDONALD MUSTANGS  | It's Fall Again!Another summer has passed, our kids are another year older--we won't talk about what happened to us in that time (ha,ha).I'll take just a little time to tell you about me. I'm a 14 year veteran teacher and I'll receive my masters degree in December of this year. I have raised four children ages 29 to 23. The first three are girls and all have college degrees and my youngest is a boy who is serving with the Air Force in Afghanistan. What's Happening This Year This year we will use worksheets, computers, and projects to reinforce our math skills. Worksheets will be used in conjunction with notes to learn the basic skills. We have a computer program that will reinforce those skills. Your student will have access to that program from your home computer. If you don't have a home computer, he/she can stay after school to work on the classroom computers. More information on access from home will follow once every student is signed in to the system. Open HouseMiddle School will host an Open House on September 16. It usually starts around 6:00 p.m. and runs through 8:00 p.m. (more information on exact times will follow). Please try to come! I'd love to meet you! DisciplineI try not to need a principal in my discipline program. Most of the time, I am successful. I have found through experience that my students learn best when the class is orderly and quiet. That does not mean that we will not work in groups--sometimes we will. It also doesn't mean that we won't engage in a variety of learning experiences--we will. It does mean that all students will be expected to flow from one activity to another in a way that does not disturb other students and that does not interfere with my ability to teach. If I find that your student is having a problem controlling his behavior, I hope I can call on you for help. I truly believe that education is a team effort. The attachment to this newsletter asks for general information that will help me contact you. Please fill out the page and return it to school with your student. I love e-mails, so if you have access to one, please provide that also. Phone calls must happen from time to time, but we all work and I try to keep them to a minimum. Carol Peters Basic Math 972-882-5700 cpeters@mesquiteisd.org |
The newsletter application was great because it would have taken a special program for me to do it in Word. I will probably use the spreadsheet to track the academic progress for my students. I can also see using excell spreadsheets to track money and permission slips for field trips. That was the one collaborative use I could think of--each teacher on the team could input the data into the document for the students in her home room instead of having to take all the information to the team leader to input.
And, yes, it was very time consuming--but, interesting.
P.S. After viewing this blog post, I see why cut/paste is not a good thing to do. The formatting isn't compatible. Ah Ha!!
Thing #19
I was able to embed a voice thread into the sidebar of my blog and that was empowering. I would really like to come back to this section to see how to make my own voice thread. I tried joining the free group for teachers but was not successful. Next time, I'll join the discussion group and get their advice.
I definitely see benefit in using the voice thread in my classroom as a section wrap-up--every time we learn something new, add a comment about it to the voice thread. By the 6 weeks test, it could be used as a study document--especially since these voice threads can be accessed from home.
If I do my own, I would need to explore the screen. A picture would not be good enough--I would want to create something having to do with the math objective we were exploring at the time. Since we would be adding to it, a slide show seems like it might work. I could add a new slide each time we started something new. Sounds huge, and maybe it's unrealistic. Time will tell.
I definitely see benefit in using the voice thread in my classroom as a section wrap-up--every time we learn something new, add a comment about it to the voice thread. By the 6 weeks test, it could be used as a study document--especially since these voice threads can be accessed from home.
If I do my own, I would need to explore the screen. A picture would not be good enough--I would want to create something having to do with the math objective we were exploring at the time. Since we would be adding to it, a slide show seems like it might work. I could add a new slide each time we started something new. Sounds huge, and maybe it's unrealistic. Time will tell.
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