LEP

MY LEP!!!!!

Everyone should BLOG!

Over the course of this semester we have used weblogs throughout our meetings. I found that weblogging is something that I will use outside of this classroom as well. I was introduced to weblogs in this course, and wish I had heard about weblogs earlier. We created our own weblogs as well as comment on our peers entries. We also were given the oppertunity to communicate with younger students who were first learning how to blog as well.
I enjoyed learning how to weblog because I think it will be very beneficial to me as well any my students in my future. Weblog is a great tool to use for communicating as well as posting an opinion about something.

Final Reflection Paper

Cara Streger

April 21, 2005

Final Reflection Paper


I was rereading the reflection papers I created from the beginning of the semester to the middle of the semester, and I saw a slight difference in the way I felt about technology in the classroom. But now that the semester is coming to an end, I feel that I have been exposed to a whole new world of technology in just 16 weeks.
If I were to walk into a classroom tomorrow and was told that I could teach students about anything I wanted, I would choose a topic that I could incorporate technology in it. Throughout this semester my comfort level of using technology in the classroom grew immensely to point where I think I would be able to handle it. We have been taught a numerous amount of ways to integrate technology in the classroom. I now feel that I would be completely comfortable and prepared in sharing my knowledge with others.
I think what might help me to put what I’ve learned in this class to use in the classroom is the experience I got from creating lesson plans that integrated technology. If I were not to use the same activities I researched, I would use something very close to it. Creating lesson plans that were based on selected software allowed me to expand my mind and see that computers have other software besides Microsoft Word! (That’s my favorite). The skills I learned through this course are skills that I don’t think will ever leave me. My level of experience has increased and I feel that with a little bit of motivation and more experience that I think that I could definitely be able to put out all that I put in.
The impact of the level of technology resources in my future school of employment will lead me to become a better teacher. I feel that as time passes by, technology increases. I know that I will take everything I learned in this course and allow that to be my base of what’s to come. Since I can now say I am familiar with more programs then I ever thought I would be familiar with, I have a head start on what is in the future. The level of technology resources in my future school may seem intimidating at first, but I will take it head on and embrace it with an open mind. On the other hand, some schools are not as fortunate to have a great level of technology resources, and if that is the case, I plan to try my best to encourage technology integration with any school I teach at.
In my opinion, technology can help teaching and learning because it is a whole other way of learning. With a simple use of technology, students become more engaged in what is being taught. I wouldn’t say incorporate technology into your every day curriculum, but definitely allow the students to become familiar with it. Technology can be used to enable old models of teaching and learning. Students can be "plugged into computers" to do drill and practice that is not so different from workbooks. Teachers can use multimedia technology to give more colorful, stimulating lectures. In my opinion, technology can help teaching and learning in a very positive way.
As I move through my teaching career, I plan to keep up with technology changes by “drill and practice” with myself. Before you teach and integrate material, you have to know what you are teaching. Technology is something that advances daily, and I will have to make it my priority to keep up with the updates. Technology is very interesting to me and grabs my attention immediately. I am fascinated by what computers can now do, and what software’s can now include. I will keep up with technology as my careers travels by introducing myself to software and knowledge that I know will be important and useful.
I entered this class never thinking that I would leave with such great appreciation of what I have learned. I know that at any level of education, technology can be integrated some how. Whether it is just using paint art with the little kids, or making excel spreadsheets with the older ones. There is something in technology that can be used for everyone.

Software/Website Reviews

The software I reviewed was Diorama Designer for grades 2-6. I thought this software was a great tool for students be creative as well as learn. It allows students to take the knowledge they learned from a previous lesson, and use a program that allows you to create a 3-D Diorama. It is a step by step progress and you can work at your own pace. It is a software that will allow students to feel like they are playing as well as learning.

The website I chose to review was A To Z Kid Stuff. This website provided a great activity to learn the five senses. It provided a small activity to do for each sense and then one big one to sum it all up. I would definitely recommend this site for future teachers looking for an activity on the five senses.

Digitial Divide Interview

I read "An Interview with Barbara Monroe," the author of "Crossing the Digital Divide: Race, Writing, and Technology in the Classroom." It is a book that spices up the debate about the digital divide. It gives a chance for the readers to learn something about the students from the other side of the digitial divide. Barbara Monroe writes:

"So far the discourse on the Digital Divide has been dominated by white liberals
who have advocated from leveling the playing field, but now that
those schools have come online we can learn from them."

It allows readers to see that students are much more less experimental with computers in the classroom because they are being drilled to know "test" material because of the No Child Left Behind Act. Because students on the other side of the digital divide are behind, teachers are going to "drill" them till they know it, and that is what cuts into the educational time, that students need. Basically, the students on the other side of the digital divide are going to teach us that technology isn't going to make a difference in schools. Barbara Monroe wants to open up peoples eyes to every side of the digital divide, and then feels once we become good listeners and learners, we can start to rebuild the importance of technology.

Music to My Ears with MS Access

Project Name: Music to My Ears with MS Access

Description of Learning Goals and Standards:
This activity for seventh graders can be created in a music class or even a history class. It allows students to research their top 10 favorite music artisits on the internet and work with Microsoft Access to create a database for it. The database will give reports and analyze data that each student puts in. The students will develop knowledge in browsing the web as well as being challenged to work with Microsoft Access. After completing this activity, the students will have a new way they can input data and become organized in a timely fashion.
QCC's:
Topic: Productivity
Standard: Creates, manages, and utilizes information using database tools and applications.
Topic: Research
Standard: Uses technology and telecommunications tools to locate, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, apply, and communicate information.

Rationale for Technology:
The intergration for technology allows students to use search browsers on the internet to find specific information that will enhance their learning. It will allow students to locate information using clues and simple words.
Microsoft Access will allow students to become skillful in making a database for this selected activity. Titles, query's, forms, and reports will be created to help make this database complete. Students will have to be patient with using this type of technology. It is basic, but it requires patience and attention. Will single clicks of the mouse, the students will create a database with each of their top 10 lists of favorite songs.

Description of Lesson Implementation:
First we will start out by having a group discussion with the class about music. We discuss some of our favorite artists and what songs they sing. The assignment will then be given. The students will start out in front of a computer researching their favorite top 10 singers. This part of the project will allow students to use different search engines to find the answers they are looking for. In this particular project they are looking for, the artist's name, song, year written, album name, and genre. After the students find the information for all 10 of their favorite artisits, they will come forward and receive a handout on Microsoft Access. This handout will explain making a database word for word. The students will concentrate on making a list that includes all the information they were looking for in their search. They will be able to create wizards if necessary and pick a layout to add to the creativity. After their database is complete, the students will be responsible for printing out a copy of the list view, form view, and one report.

Assessment:
Students will graded on a 50 point scale: 40 points based on the MS Access, and 10 points for completion:

10 Records and 5 Fields- 20 points
Formating: 10 points
Writing- 10 points

Completion- 10 points

Other Places to Use this Solution:
Databases are a great way to organize material. It can store information, and organize data in a way that you would want it in. Microsoft Access can be used in a classroom to help enhance the way students learn, but it is not something I would add to the curriculum. It can be used in grade levels of 6 and up to do projects, but I see databases as something you would more or less use in a businesslike situation. It is something that keeps and stores information that an individual enters!

What I Learned and what I would Improve Next Time:
I learned that technology is something that can enhance an activity. To use the database, you have to have information to insert in it. It is something you just don't open up and stare at. Microsoft Access is there to be used as an organizer but it is tough to understand it if you are not familiar with the software. Microsoft Access is not something I would use again to help with a project. It is not that easy to intergrate this type of technology into a lesson plan. I now know, it does take patience, and it does take time.

References/Resources Used:
MS Access
http://www.bluerodeo.com/br/music.html

To Eat or Not to Eat

Project Name:
To Eat or Not to Eat

Description of Learning Goals and Standards:
Students in the fourth grade will learn the importance of Excel. They will learn to solve equations using sums, averages, and differences. The students will also learn the food pyramid and the importance of each food group. While conducting this two day project, students will have the ability to monitor and record what they eat as well as enjoy it.
QCC'S:
Topic: Productivity
Standard: Manages information with databases and spreadsheets.
Topic: Dietary Guidelines
Standard: Evaluates personal diet based on recommended dietary guidelines and the food guide pyramid.

Rationale for Technology:
Excel is a software that allows information to be expressed in various amount of ways. It is a clear and concise way to show important information "spread" out to gain a better understanding. Graphs can be made, extra cells, rows, and columns can be added, and creation is also a key. When working with Excel it is important to be patient when entering information because it is easy to confuse one row for another. Excel is a software that allows you to plot information that will be useful throughout you're entire process. When entering data, such as food intake, it is an easy task to keep track of all your information.

Description of Lesson Implementation:
Working with excel I thought it would be a great oppertunity to have the students do a two day project. This project consists of monitoring your food intake for one full day. The students are to write down every thing they eat for one day. The following day the students are to come in with their results and as a class we will discuss their results. The Food Pyramid will be introduced and information of the correct recommended servings from each group will be stated. The students will form in 5 groups of 4 and work together to form a spreadsheet activity. Given the information from the food pyramid and each of their results from their daily food intake record, we will form a flow chart that provides us with information from our peers and from the recommended information. We will perform fuctions to add, subtract and sum. Each group will present their spreadsheet and the results they have found.

Assessment:
This activity will be graded on a 50 point scale.

Record of Daily Food Intake- 20 points
Participation in Creating Spreadsheet- 15 points
Presentation with Group- 10 points
Accuracy on Functions- 5 points

Other Places to Use this Solution:
Excel can be used within any subject in any class. You can create spreadsheets for almost anything. For example, to take roll, grades, math, tally sheets, and Science. Excel can be used in a productive school setting, or even at home for own home necessities.

What I Learned and What I Would Improve Next Time:
I learned that Excel is a great way to sort information. It doesn't matter if it just a minimum amount of information or a mass amount. Next time, depending on the grade level, I would try to use more complex functions to really try to challenge and stump the students. Within each grade level, the intensity of numbers and situations can increase.

References/Resources Used:
http://www.centenaryarchers.gil.com.au/images/food-pyramid.jpg

Blooms Taxonomy with The Five Senses

Knowledge:
List the five different senses and the body parts it pertains to.

Comprehension:
Discuss what life would be like if you were a child growing up without your senses.

Application:
Examine why some of the five senses seem more important then others.

Analysis:
Analyze what you would be like if you lost one of your senses.

Synthesis:
Design a collage of pictures that represent each of the five senses.

Evaluation:
Recommend different way that you use all five senses.

Holiday Time with MS Publisher

Project Name:
The title of the MS Publisher Newsletter is : Holiday Time

Description of Learning Goals and Standards:
Students in the 7th grade will pick their favorite holidays, learn indepth information on that specific holiday using the internet, and create a newsletter using MS Publisher. The students will be shown a draft, or the one I created to use as a guidance, and be able to complete a newsletter.
QCC Standards:
Topic: Productivity
Standard: Creates, manages, and utilizes information using database tools and applications.

Rationale for Technology:
MS Publisher is a program that allows you to create newsletters in a creative style. It allows you to select columns, make rows, tables, insert pictures, colors, and information that is very feasible to the eye. MS Publisher is a program that allows students to show their artistic and creative side by doing simple clicks with the mouse of the computer. Some students can not be as creative with a pen, but has the image sitting in their head. MS Publisher allows certain images to become possible. It is another form of communication that can be spoken through bright colors, pictures, and font size. MS Publisher is not a program you have to be an expertise in but rather just familiar with the toolbar. You can move at your own pace and let the creating begin. MS Publisher adds a positive vibe into the classroom, and keeps students interested in the lesson being taught.

Description of Lesson Implementation:
Everyone loves a certain time of year that they just look forward to. Often enough, those specific times of year usually fall around a holiday. I would start this lesson off by having the students name as many holidays as they could think of and write them on the board. We would name positive and negative things we like about the announced holidays and then move forward into the project part. I would use a computer with a projector screen so every student in the class can pay attention. I would guide the students through the internet showing them how to search for a specific topic using different search engines. After searching with the entire class, I would put the students in groups of four to work on the computers in the classroom. A topic would be named, and as a group they are to find two different websites they found important that relates to the topic. After doing so, I would have a hand out on MS Publisher. As a class we will guide through a practice newsletter and I would show them how creative you can be with it.
The students would then return into their groups and be able to perform practice runs with MS Publisher. After they feel comfortable with this software, their assignment would be given. They are to create a newsletter using MS Publisher on their favorite holiday they have chosen. They are to have at least two different web resources and be turned in the following week.

Assessment:
I would use the following criteria to assess my students. This assignment is on a 50 point scale.

Completeness- 10
Organization- 5
Resources- 10
Holiday Topic- 10
Creative- 5
Presentaiton- 10

Other Places to Use this Solution:
MS Publisher is a software that can used at many different levels. I would recommend this software for middle school and up, and have the criteria increase with the grade level. This software is very beneficial for students because it allows them to be creative but stay productive at the same time. It takes time and practice to fully understand how to work it. Creations such as newsletters, articles, invitations and more can be created on this software.

What I Learned and what I would Improve Next Time:
MS Publisher is a program that seems a little overwhelming at first. It provides many different options that you can choose from. If you are not familiar with the program then you may struggle at first. If you are working with students on this program you just have to be patient and guide the students through each step. For next time, I think I would actually create lesson plans on MS Publisher because it is a different way to grab the students attention. Often enough when we look at newspaper and see the front page, we know their is important news being said. I would make it something to that format so that it looks and sounds as important as it really is!

Resources:
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/easter.html
http://www.holidays.net/thanksgiving/
http://people.howstuffworks.com/christmas.htm