Get Creative with Scrapblog!

I just completed my final Internet Curriculum Project today! I chose the topic of Scrapblog, an online website where you can make your own scrapbook. But instead of the regular pen and paper way of constructing a scrapbook, you can make your own online by uploading digital pictures, using online stickers, and adding audio sound. You can even share it with people you know! It's a great program.



After completing the project, I reflected on the experience and the lesson I had created to teach my classmates all about Scrapblog. I posted my lesson plan on my personal website, under course assignments. You can also view the PowerPoint I made, giving step-by -step instructions about how to use Scrapblog on Slideshare. Here is my reflection:



From completing this assignment, I learned that there are still so many technological tools and websites that exist that I am unaware of. Prior to completing this assignment, I had never heard of Scrapblog. I must admit that I am a Scrapbook fanatic and enjoy putting scrapbooks together to document and hold onto precious memories. I think it’s great that there is a virtual version of a scrapbook because it really opens up the amount of possibilities there are available. You can make a Scrapblog for yourself and post it to show and share with other people, or you can even create a Scrapblog for someone to give as a thoughtful gift. Not only is Scrapblog great for personal use, but it can also be used with students in school as well!

Scrapblog can be used in a variety of ways into any content area- especially literacy. Students can use Scrapblog to illustrate a story that they have written. For instance, they could use Scrapblog to illustrate a personal narrative about themselves. Using their own personal digital pictures, students can include pictures of important people, places, or things in their lives. Students can then present the class their stories and their Scrapblogs to the class or even to their parents during Open House night at their school. Scrapblog can also be used to document books that students have read throughout the school year. Students can include pictures of the books, of them working on projects related to the books, and then write a reflective paragraph talking about how their reading has evolved, skills they’ve improved on, and favorite books and authors. Scrapblog could also be used in conjunction with a how-to paragraph. After students wrote a how-to paragraph explaining how to perform a task, the student could take pictures with a digital camera and add them to Scrapblog to make a how-to scrapbook to complement their paragraph.

If I could do the lesson over again, I would change parts of my guided practice. For instance, I would give students in the class a theme or a specific topic for their practice run with Scrapblog. I think it may have been difficult with such a time constraint for students to brainstorm and find pictures for their Scrapblog. It would have been interesting if students had been able to make a Scrapblog page about their experience in this class using pictures of their assignments that they completed and maybe some snapshots of them hard at work using technology. I also wonder if there would have been any added benefits to having students work in their groups rather than independently. I may have tried that if I had the opportunity to do the lesson over again, because students may have learned more from one another by sharing ideas and experiencing Scrapblog as a group.

I’m really glad that I got the chance to work with the Scrapblog program. It has inspired me to think of many great ideas for my students, as well as for me to use personally. I hope the students in class gained a lot from the lesson and see the value of Scrapblog to incorporate it into their own classrooms.

The End is Near....

As I sit here and reflect on my experience in class, I am overcome with all of the knowledge I have acquired. I feel like I have broadened my technological horizons. As corny as that may seem to say, if someone were to ask me what I learned in this class, I would have so much to say. Not only was I introduced to, and had the opportunity to work with many new programs and websites, I was able to think of how these technologies could be incorporated into my classroom. I have a list of ideas that I can't wait to share with my colleagues and students.

I think back on my first experiences with the class. I was very overwhelmed and thought that there was no way that I would be able to handle all of this new technological information. But after diving right in and creating my own website, blog, and wiki, I was so impressed with my capabilities and was surprised at how much fun it could be. I thought to myself, "If I think this is great, imagine what my students would feel?" And my explorations continued, working with programs like Excel to make a crossword puzzle and Jumpcut to make an educational video. Watching videos on how technology can be integrated into the classroom and seeing why it is so beneficial because today's students are a new generation of learners, really helped me understand where my students are coming from and why traditional lectures are no longer effective. I need to use technology to motivate and engage them. This is also where the ISTE/NET Standards come into play so I make sure I use technology effectively to build collaborative and critical thinking learners. I must admit that I did not even know these standards existed before taking this class, but now that I know they are around, I will try to align my teaching with them to better the outcomes for students. I also became familiar with technological lingo, such as Web 2.0 and learned the capabilities and how it was different from Web 1.0. I learned all about bookmaring through del.icio.us and the benefits it can have as opposed to just saving websites to your "favorites."

I am so much more aware now of not only technology that exists, but of how these technologies can be incorporated into the classroom to enhance learning outcomes. I look at my own experience using Moodle chatrooms and Elluminate to help deepen my understandings of the topics introduced in this class. It was the discussions held using Moodle and Elluminate, as well as working first hand with new programs, that helped me see where the technologies and course readings could be fit into my own classroom and curriculum, helping me to deepen my own understanding and allowing for reflection.

I believe that I am different today than I was prior to taking this course. I had always known that technology had existed, but often felt overwhelmed or frustrated with it. I thought that I had waited too long to really get involved, so I would just stick with what I knew (Microsoft Word and PowerPoint) and hopefully that would work out. But now I feel more technologically literate! (Did I just make up my own word?) Now I see that technology is all around us. And its not going anywhere. It is the new standard. I feel now that I have a responsibility to educate my students on what technology is and to show them what exists so they can become literate with technology as well. I feel more empowered as I get ready to end this course that I have been equipped with the tools to properly use (and teach) these technologies with confidence.

I am so anxious to get into my classroom for the upcoming year and start integrating technology into my curriculum more than ever before. I also can't wait to see how my students react to this and how it impacts their learning. It is my hope that just because the class is over, I will not become any less tech savy and continue to use and stay current on new technological developments. It sure has been a great ride- one that I will never forget!

My, My How Things Have Changed

After watching the video TwT: In Action, it is apparent that teaching and reaching students has changed dramatically. In the past, technology was virtually unheard of in class or it was used very minimally. Today, technology is leading the way in education.

It is amazing the new heights that technology can take students to. I loved how, in the video, technology was used in a wide range of situations. For instance, using a distance learning technique when there were not enough students enrolled in class as way to bring more students in, without them having to actually be in the classroom. Virtual classrooms are also an inexpensive option for taking your class on an adventure that is sure to be exciting and educational.

Technology can also enhance reading. Students can use the picture book on PowerPoint to make an ABC book, which can be great for primary aged students learning letters and sounds. This is just the tip of the iceburg too. Think of all the other ways that PowerPoints can be used in the classroom- from reports to test review, the possibilities are endless!

It's great to see all of the many ways in which technology is being integrated into schools. Sometimes, looking back on my experience with technology in the school i teach in today, it is often disheartening to see my students not have the opportunity to be exposed to many of the available technologies today. But it is my hope, now that i have a better understanding of technology, to help make these resources more readily available.

Starfall saves the day...

I love the website Starfall! I think it is a great resource for students, especially those just learning to read. I love how there are even different holiday themes that can be incorporated into the curriculum.
I like how the website focuses on letter-sound correspondence, phonemic awareness, and even alphabet sign language! The online books are also amazing and each story focuses on a different skill or letter sound. They even feature tongue twisters and poetry.
I could see myself using Starfall with primary grade students that are starting out in their journey of reading and writing. After focusing on letters and their sounds, students could log onto the website and participate in a story featuring the sound and letters. I like how students could read a long with the story and hear it outloud incase they get stuck on a word. They could do this during center time or just visit the site at any point during the day if they finish their work early. The poetry section could be used to model poetry so students can write their own. I like how it is read aloud so students can hear rhyming words and flow. Great for teaching and reinforcing phonemic awareness skills. Finally, the I'm Reading section can be used for students to read independently or for them to be read to. These stories would be great to use for beginning comprehension. After reading or hearing the stories, students could answer comprehension questions to see what is being absorbed from the story.
Not only is Starfall educational, but it is fun! I can see students having a blast exploring the options and looking forward to using the many resources available. I already added it to my Wiki, for recommended literacy sites. I can't wait to find more like it!

Second Language Learner Resources

I was initially attracted to the Second Life English website because I know that I will have several ESL students in my classroom next year. These students primarly speak English. Since I am not familiar with English and have limited expeirence with ESL students, I thought this website would be a great resource to utilize in my room.

After reviewing the resources available, I found some very valueable tools. For instance, the forum where teachers can post information on lesson plans and courses that can be useful for teachers and students learning a language. There is also a translation forum where translators can offer their translating services to teachers and students.

I also found the Launchrooms very interesting. These launch rooms can be utilized in a traditional classroom manner or for groups. They come equipped with 1 whiteboard, 12 hand-show chairs, 1 scripted filing cabinet and an LMS-integrated quiz/survey/assessment tool. Students and teachers can launch themselves into virtual space to learn more.

I thought this site was very user friendly. I was also fond of the fact that they offer support from teachers. It seemed like a great community where teachers and learners can go to learn more about language learner.

Vivacious Videos!

Well I had a great time making my video for Assignment 7. I used the program Photo Story 3. It took me a little while to get started and become familiar witht he program, but after I started exploring, things got easier. I thought making a video would be more difficult, but it was surprisingly easy and user friendly.
I decided to do an educational video using digital photos from my recent vacation to Florida. I focused on parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. I used various pictures from the beach that I had taken. I started out with a brief description of nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and then asked students what were some nouns, verb, and adjectives they saw in the pictures. I decided to focus on these parts of speech because a lot of my students still forget the differences between them. I thought this video could be a good review lesson, especially in the beginning of the year.
While I was making my video with the Photo Story 3 software, I thought it would be very useful for my students to use. It could be used to make a video for any subject area and topic and it allows for creativity on the student's behalf. I think it is a great alternative to PowerPoint presentations, which often get overused in today's curriculum.

Engrade gets an A!

I absolutely love engrade grading program! I signed up as a user and I think it is the most wonderful and convenient program. I think it beats the traditional pen and gradebook system. And the best part is that you don't have to worry about losing your gradebook because your grades are saved on this website!

I really like how you have options on how you can set up your gradebook. You can choose if you want points or percents. It's very flexible and doesn't force you to use just one format. I also especially liked how after you entered the grades, that it gave you the entire class average so you can gain a better understanding of your students' performances. I also thought it was great that you could give students their own personal ID number so they can sign on and see how they did on an assignment or test. This is a great way to keep parents informed of their student's progress! One thing that I think would make engrade better would be to have the option, for each assignment, to be able to enter a percent in points and a letter grade because often times students see a percent and ask what grade it translates into. Other than that, I am pleased with engrade's performance.

I think this is so useful for classroom teachers. It's so easy to use and as I mentioned before is so much more convenient that traditional gradebooks. I remember when I was student teaching and my cooperating teacher lost her gradebook. She was in such a panic and had to "estimate" the grades for the ones she lost. It was terrible! But with this software, everything is saved and in one place. I am definetly going to use this in my classroom for grades this upcoming year.

I think students and teachers would be on board for use of this software in the classroom. Students would be able to use their personal ID to log on to access their grades and would not have to hassle the teacher for their grade. Parents could also access their child's grades without having to worry that their child is not telling them their grades and without the hassle of calling the teacher to find out the results. I think engrade is the next generation of grading!