TPACK

My final product is completed and can be found here. I think that by writing this paper it allowed me to reflect on my technological journey throughout this class and how I could expand on what I had learned. I found this class to be somewhat of a challenge, and while I may not use everything I have learned I will be able to efficiency use the majority of the tools. This activity corresponds with a couple of the ISTE NETS standards. First is Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making. This is because I created authentic answers to questions that required evaluation and reflection of myself and my study. The second standard is Digital Citizenship because it displays my positive attitude for technology and my wish to be a lifelong learner. Also this project involves the safe uses of technology for the creation of products.

Google Forms

Google Forms is a really cool tool that can be used for surveys and assessment; as well as other things in the classroom. I used this form as a interest inventory about school, reading, and family. I would probably use this specific form a couple times during the year just to see how feelings have changed throughout the year. Here you can see my survey. This activity touches the ISTE Nets Standard: Research and Information Fluency because it allows me to locate, organize, analyze, and evaluate my data through a form that I created myself. Also this project corresponds with the Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making standard. This is because I am able to collect data and make decisions based upon that data and I can identify problems and questions for investigation purposes. My data results can be found here at Results.

Jeopardy

I just finished my Jeopardy board on a seasons unit I used for first graders. This game would correspond nicely with my unit and would be a great review for the test. I have played a jeopardy game in one of my college classes and always wondered how and where I could make them. My game can be found at My Jeopardy Template. This activity corresponds with the two following standards: creativity and innovation, and communication and collaboration. Jeopardy allows the creation of new ideas and products as well as using models in a distinct way. Also this activity provides me with the opportunity reach multiple audiences and learners that produces an original work. I really liked this activity; it was fairly easy, not stressful, and provided a good piece of work that can and will be used in a classroom!

Photostory

I just finished creating my Photostory project on cyber bullying. I had heard about this topic on the news and was not very familiar with it, but I am now more aware of how serious it is. I remember how difficult middle school was for me and I didn't have a cell phone and was rarely on the computer. It must be extremely difficult for kids to feel good about themselves with all this negativity going around. I was surprised to see how schools were held responsible. If cyber bullying is occurring on school grounds then I believe it becomes a school issue. However, if it occurs at home, then parents need to step up and take responsibility for their children's actions. It seems like such a difficult topic. I struggled with this project in the beginning, but after a while I got the hang of it. Frankly, this project uses every single ISTE NETS Standard. I used my own creativity, I shared it with the public, I created a tool that discusses a major issue, and I had to use problem solving to complete the activity. This project really covers a lot and provides the operator with many learning experiences. This is probably the first project that has covered the Digital Citizenship standard, in that it asks students to practice safe, legal uses of technology and to be positive at that. You can find my video here.

Prezi

Prezi is a really cool twist on ways to give a presentation. This is different from PowerPoint, but has some of the same aspects. Prezi allows you to see your whole presentation in one view, whereas PowerPoint does not. Prezi also allows you to choose the path of your information. I actually like this tool better than PowerPoint because it is saved on the web and I don't have to load it on my computer. However, that can be a disadvantage especially if the Internet would be down. Another disadvantage is that I could not directly copy and paste pictures onto Prezi, that would have made this a lot easier. This activity and application falls under at least the three following ISTE NETS Standards: Creativity and Innovation, Communication and Collaboration, Technology Operations and Concepts. Prezi uses Creativity and Innovation because it allow students to make a presentation that is original and their own. It also provides students the opportunity to use the latest trends in the presentation area. Communication and Collaboration are identified because the presentation can be shared with peers and the public. Also Prezi uses a variety of media techniques to arrive at a final project. The Technology Operations and Concepts standard is covered because it allows students to find the answers to their problems that they have with the product while also using it effectively and efficiently. My Prezi Presentation can be found here.
Hope You Like It!!!

Motion Path

Motion Path is a really neat tool that allows you to animate your objects with a click on a screen of your placement. I actually explored this tool with my Labels assignment and I think it is really cool. I decided to do my slide of a race car on a track. I made the car crash off the track. I really wanted to made the car disappear, but I could not figure out how to get two different effects to work one right after the other. However, it still looks pretty cool. Also I had the car win the race and go across the checkered flag. You can view my race car here. I think this type of project is something that students could do that would be original and allow them to explore their own creativity. They could spend hours figuring out just how they want their objects to look and I believe that these tools could make for some really great products. The ISTE NETS standards covered are Creativity and Innovation, and Technology Operations and Concepts. These are the two main standards that correspond with the project because it allows me to create new ideas that are original, while also displaying my understanding of technology systems and how to use them effectively.

Labels

Well I just completed the Labels assignment and I must say that this has been quite frustrating for me. The part that was most frustrating was trying to get the PowerPoint uploaded to FTP and then figuring out the URL. Luckily, my classmates posted some awesome tips, so that helped more than they know. I decided to use labels to show the parts of a house. This assignment was beneficial, but I don't think I would do the whole assignment with a young group. It's sort of complicated. I do like that you can use PowerPoint in creative ways and make items that are different in nature for a classroom. I think that this helps you see the really important things of a picture. This project falls under the following ISTE NETS standards: Technology Operations and Concepts; Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making; and Research and Information Fluency. I had to gather information about a house in order to correctly provided information to my presentation. It took a lot of trial and error as well as being a little familiar with the tool that I was using. Overall, these are the main standards that were covered, but the others may be slightly present also. Here you can find my presentation.

Ignite Format

I just completed another PowerPoint presentation, except this time I used the Ignite format. This format consists of 20 slides that automatically transition every 15 seconds. This is supposed to keep presentations from lasting a long time. I have seen people use this format before and I think it is a really good idea. Once I completed my project I uploaded it to Slideshare. I believe that this fits the ISTE NETS Standard Creativity and Innovation because I am asked to generate new ideas and use models to make a point. Here is my presentation.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a tool provided by by Microsoft that is useful for presentations in many different fields. I created a slide show on the days of the week for a lesson that I used during my student teaching. It was designed with first grade students in mind and was based around the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This activity aligns with ISTE NETS standard Technology Operations and Concepts because it shows that students understand the system and can correctly operate the tools, which lead to an effect presentation and product. Here is my slide show. Also here is a caption of some of the slides:

Jing Screencast

I have created my Jing Screencast. I chose to continue what I was teaching through the use of Windows Movie Maker. I went through the steps and even took a short video of myself, even though I didn't really mean to, and when I viewed the video I only heard my voice and did not see my face. I have briefly used Jing in another class, and I must say that it is my favorite tool that we have used yet. I like that it's a way to take pictures and make movies without having to use different applications like with Windows. You really have a lot of control with Jing and the picture is great. Here are the answers to the learning outcomes for this assignment:

1. What file types come out of Jing? The file types that come out of Jing are a PNG for pictures and a SWF for videos.
   
2. Where might we save these files? We can save these files to our Desktop, but they can also be saved to a jump drive or any other drive your computer will allow. Where are the files stored? The files are stored to the Desktop but also in Jing's History.
   
3. How do you link to a Screen cast? Go to Jing's History button, which is located as the small middle button directly below the yellow dot, then select the screen cast and hit the Share button beside the eye. Once you have completed this you will see a small caption that says your capture has been shared and the link is ready to be copied. You need to click the underlined text and copy the link from the URL box.
   
4. How do you save and retrieve Jing objects from the History area? Once you have clicked on the History button you need to select the object and click on the eye button. Once your object is loaded you may edit and save your object by clicking on the disk button located at the bottom of the screen with the other tools.
   
5. How to import Jing objects into our blog posts? To import Jing objects you may use the Add Image button (button with a landscape picture). Once you have clicked on the button you need to browse for your image, which should be located in your desktop. As soon as your image is loaded, choose your layout and Upload your image.
   
6. What file type is a Jing screen cast? A screen cast is a SWF file type.
   
7. Can we convert the Jing objects including images and videos? I don't think so. The images can not be saved as any other type of file. However, there may be a trick that I haven't figured out yet!
   

Jing Image

Here is my Jing image. I decided to use Windows Movie Maker software. I thought I could use this image to help teach others about the first steps you take when you want to make a movie or video. I had trouble when I first started because I wasn't sure what the name of my device was, but luckily windows automatically found mine. Another thing I had trouble with was microphone volume. However, after a while I figured out that I needed to manually adjust the volume by using the drop down box that the second arrow points to. This could help other people in the future who need help getting started.

This assignment complies with the ISTE NETS standard Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making because students identify problems and questions about a situation. They also plan activities such as: what to teach, and develop a solution on how to teach it and what kinds of problems may arise. Finally, this activity allows for students to assist people in a quick and easy way.

Google Draw

Google draw is a pretty cool tool that is similar to Paint or graphics that you can use in Microsoft Word. I have used the basic tools except a Polyline. My experience with online tools is very limited which is why I was sort of scared to do this project because I am not familiar with all of Google's tools. I believe that this assignment most closely relates to the standard of Research and Information Fluency because students must go through of all the steps listed within that standard such as: make a strategy, local your tools, use the tools, evaluate your project, and report your results.

Click here to view the link to my graphic.

OR

See my graphic right here:

Self Assessment

I just completed the self assessment. This was really helpful in that it helped me know exactly where I should be and what I should be doing, while also providing support in case I didn't know how to fix a problem. I never thought about providing support for a self assessment, but it really makes sense. This activity corresponds with the ISTE NETS standard Research and Information Fluency because it evaluates tools based on the task, and it processes and reports data that was collected. I was honest in my self assessment, but must admit that I am a little intimidated about the next one...Google Draw! I will let you know how it goes.

Glogster

I have been working on my Glogster account and I am going to address some of the learning outcomes. First, what is a Glog? A Glog is a blog but is much more interactive and requires a lot of creativity. A glog uses a poster and is actually very easy to put together. How might I use a Glog in my classroom? I would use a glog in my classroom as an introduction to the school year to introduce myself and what we would be doing during the year. I would probably create other blogs on projects that would be completed, or discussion topics. This allows students to have unlimited creativity. What ISTE NETS T does the use of Glogster most likely correspond with? I believe that this tool corresponds with the Communication and Collaboration because it discusses how students can interact, communicate, and publish items with peers. While also being able to work on a team project. A problem with this tool is that I can't see the whole page until I am back on my dashboard page. I like the preview page, but I would really like to see it as a whole. Click here to view my Glog.

Self Potrait

During this assignment I had some trouble with the sizing of the objects. In order to fix this problem, I kept trying different things and I eventually found the scaling tool on the website. Also another issue I had was that I didn't feel like there were enough options for me to make a better version of myself. However, I then realized that this wasn't meant to be exact and that I could make one similar to me, just with a few differences. Click here to see the link to my portrait. And here is my beautiful picture(P.S. It took me a few minutes to realize that I had to go through the whole process of a screen capture in order to get this in here):

This assignment fits under the ISTE NETS Standard of: Creativity and Innovation because the students get to create a picture that is original and unique. Also this assignment allows students use the models provided to produce their work of expression.

Learning Styles Inventory

I must say that the learning styles inventory was very accurate when it came to my scores. I was a six in visual, aural, and kinesthetic. However, I was in ten in reading/writing. The results page said that I have a mild reading/writing preference, which is absolutely true. I am pretty well rounded when it comes to ways of learning, but reading and writing seems to usually be the easiest way for me. I think this was an excellent questionnaire! Hopefully being well rounded as a learner can help me find other ways for students who may only have one main learning preference.This activity best fits the ISTE NETS Standard: Research and Information Fluency because it locates and evaulates information collected. Information has been collected from many sources and processed to give a specific answer.

Snipping Tool

I had to do a little bit of research for this assignment. I don't have a snipping tool on my computer, so I used the print screen button to take a picture of the image that I would use to teach a lesson.
For my image I chose to take a picture of the products that I use in Google. This may show students all of the awesome tools that Google has to offer and the best part is that they are all located at one site. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making is the standard that fits this activity. This is because I had to think and explore in order to answer my questions and finish the product. I also had to use several different processes. I really like how this blog went ahead and put my image in there so that I could see exactly where the picture was going to be. Anyway, this image would probably change over time which may be a good thing to show students because I may need to add other products to my account that I use on a daily basis. Very cool!

Voice Thread

Voice Thread is a tool that can be used to communicate with people(in a variety of ways) in a video like setting. This tool can be used in any learning enterprise because if students don't have a web cam and microphone, or they don't have any media files, they can still be a part of the process, through using their phone, or the text.

I used Voice Thread to give a brief response to the video Who Am I? I decided to use the telephone option as a way to comment. I chose this option because I was really curious about how it would work and if my voice would come in clear. I was really surprised because the whole process was easy and my voice came in loud and clear! I believe that this activity most closely matches ISTE NETS T standard of Student Learning and Creativity: "Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual environments."

This activity could consist of both environments and inspire students to be creative with their technology even though sometimes it is scary and we don't always understand. Voice Thread is very cool and I definitely think students will love it!

Google Reader

I just had my first experience with Google Reader and I have to say that it was quick and painless. It was also very easy to do. I like that I don't have to pull up 5 different tabs to look at the updates made on a blog. The first blog I chose was I.N.K. Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. I really want to make reading a fun thing for kids to do and if I know more about books that are different from the norm, I may be able to inspire more kids who would have rather just quit. From this blog I learned about different books and received a slight review on them. This helps me to know if the book could be used in my classroom. The other blog I chose is called School Food Matters. I think that nutrition is very important and a lot of times the school food is just not as healthy as people might think. I picked this blog because I want to learn more about this topic. From this blog I learned about the things that people are doing to try to make foods more nutritious. I shared my reader documents with someone so hopefully they will respond and find them interesting. Click here to see my Google Profile.

• What is a blog syndication and how does it differ from your previous strategies for information gathering? A blog syndication is refers to making web feeds available from a site in order to provide other people with a summary of the websites recently added content. This is way different from the previous ways I gathered information in that I would have to open up multiple tabs and search for what I was looking for. Now the updates are there and easy to find.
• What does RSS stand for? RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication and is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format.

Google Docs

I completed a resume using Google Docs and I found the whole process very complicated. I tried to publish my original resume that I had made in Microsoft Publisher, but I could not get it to work correctly. So, I just created a whole new resume in Google. I hope that I have published this right. Let me know if you can't view it.

View my resume here.

The standard that corresponds with this activity is Communication and Collaboration because I used a different type of media that was published so that my peers and future employers could view.

Internet Connection

I just completed the Internet Connection Test and I chose to do it from New York, NY. My download speed was 2.86Mbps while my upload speed was 0.73Mbps. I was reading about my results and found out that that download is a measure of how fast your connection delivers content to your computer or local area network. Upload is is the measure of how fast content is delivered from your computer or local area network to others on the Internet. I also learned that for business users your download and upload speed should match or be very close. My results were not that close, which is OK because I am not running a business. I tried the connection test from different cities but my results were consistently the same or very close. This activity fits ISTE NETS standard Technology Operations and Concepts because it involves me using applications effectively and productively while also understanding and using technology systems.

Personality Test

I just took the personality test and it says that I am a Guardian. I feel like I was way off! I don't feel like I am a leader, which was the main point of being a guardian. Maybe I have the ability to be a leader within me, but I just haven't had the opportunity to expose those characteristics. I believe and even believed before I took this test that I was very good at leading a group of students. However, I don't feel as comfortable leading a group of teachers. I am very serious and usually see things as black and white. Another characteristic of a guardian is that they enjoy working with groups, which is the farthest thing from me. I prefer to work alone because I am not as comfortable around other people, especially those I don't know. I guess in some ways the test was right, but not in all ways. The ISTE NETS standard covered is Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making because I use use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions.

Self Assesed Personality

I have not taken any personality tests to my knowledge. However, I read about the four different types and have diagnosed myself as an Idealist. This is because I am very trusting, hard on myself and become upset with conflict or confrontation. I strive to make everyone happy and have been told many times that I am "too kind". I look to make meaningful relationships with people that will last a lifetime. I am usually a pretty good judge of character about the people that will fit the profile of having that type of relationship. I may have a few of the other characteristics of the remaining types of personalities, but Idealist seems to stick out to me the most.

Browser Wars

Over the years I have worked with Internet Explorer, Netscape,AOL, and just recently Mozilla Foxfire. I would say that I am most familiar with Internet Explorer and AOL, but I am adjusting to Mozilla. What I like about Mozilla is that it keeps track of all of your recent downloads and shows them to you in a little screen. So, what is a web browser? This is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and transversing information resources on the world wide web (according to Wikipedia). As of April the four most popular web browsers are: 1.Mozilla Foxfire, 2.Internet Explorer 8, 3.Chrome, and 4.Internet Explorer 7. "Browser Wars" refers to a competition for dominance in usage of web browsers. The three things that drive the competition are: adding new features, adding proprietary features, and inadvertently creating security loopholes. The big deal about having the top browser is that even though the browser may be free, if enough people like the browser they are more likely to buy software made from that company, which provides revenue for the investment of and making of new products. Digital Citizenship is the standard that fits this activity because it involves finding a browser that uses safe and legal practices for surfing the Internet.

Blog Survey

I completed the blog survey and I am so amazed how these surveys are all made from Google. I think this is a good way to find out information about students without doing it the traditional way. Students love technology and Google has so many things to use, that I definitely think that I will use these in the future. These surveys could also be used for parents throughout the year, so you know what they are thinking. Communication and Collaboration is the standard covered because it asks that I interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.

Blogger

Yesterday I added two new link list gadgets to my blog page. These are Google and Fairmont State's websites. I definitely visit these sites the most. I've been trying to think of other sites to add, so there may be some new ones coming soon. It took me a few tries to get the gadgets on the site correctly, but it was actually pretty easy to do, and I didn't get very frustrated! I also added a picture of me and my boyfriend Jeremy from graduation. So far I haven't been too frustrated with the technology, so hopefully that will continue. Standard covered is Technology Operations and Concepts because I had to troubleshoot applications and use them effienctly and productively.

Computer Self Efficacy Survey

Well, I just finished the computer survey and I already knew that I struggled with this concept, but I did find out that I have the most trouble with making videos and inserting sounds and graphics. Most of the questions I was able to answer that I could do the tasks with help. I need a lot of support when it comes to technology, because I don't have very much confidence in myself. Technology is especially important in the teaching profession because the kids absolutely love working with computers, iPod's, and all of the other tools. By taking this survey I was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses, which helps me know what I need to work on! The standard covered with this activity is Research and Information Fluency because of the data collection and evaluation. The other standard covered is Technology Operations and Concepts because the questions involve technology and your feelings about your abilities and using them effectively.

Introduction

Hey Everyone!

I've never really blogged before, but I'm hoping this will be a good experience. I am from Lewis County and I love to camp, play basketball, and spend time with my family. I may need some help along the way, because sometimes I have a hard time with technology. Just be patient with me!