Internet Safety

I talked with a mother of a 17-year-old boy. She is in her 40’s and has already raised two other children. I chose this person because she has a son at home who is very internet proficient. I wanted to see how much she knew about what her children were doing online. She is an amazing mother and is more savvy on the computer then most parents I know.
I feel that what I shared was valuable to the person that I shared with. They really did not know about many of the things that can be located online. When I asked about popular teen sites like facebook, MySpace, and online chat rooms all they could say was that it existed. This was shocking to me. I know for a fact that their children have accounts on these sites and yet they have no idea what they are. When I asked what they knew about the internet they simply said it was good for research. It makes me nervous that she does not know about the dangers that exist online. When it came to talking about online bullying and predators I got a little nervous since the person I was talking to did not know about online bullying and knew little about online predators. This has always been a scary subject for me to talk about, but I felt it needed to be addressed. This was great practice for me when I will be teacher, because I will need to talk about these topics to parents and even some students.
I shared the frontline videos with this parent. I thought that these videos would really help her understand the dangers that exist online. A lot of these videos talk about the subjects that she did not know a lot about.

Questions Asked:
Internet bullying: Did not know this existed
Online chat rooms: They exist
Online predators: They exist
Facebook: There is facebook and children are on it
MySpace: Knows of it
YouTube: You can look at videos
Anything else: You can research pap

Technology Ideas

I saw two really fun lessons that I want to incorporate into my classroom. I really liked the use of the promethean boards. I hope that my classroom has one of these boards. I like how you can store work on these boards to use later. The use of these boards to teach writing was brilliant. It made that lesson a lot easier. Another thing I loved was Stephanie’s use of powerpoint. I believe that if you make a powerpoint interactive they can be very effective. Powerpoints can become boring, but when used the right way the can be extremely effective.

Internet Safety Articles

1. What article did you choose to read for your fourth article? I chose to read An Ensign to the Nations, a Light to the World by Pres. Hinckley.
2. What were the most important things you learned from the readings? I learned a great deal from the readings. I have never really been involved with so many of the online activities the youth is involved with today. I have never understood the desire to participate in those activities, but now I know. I have learned so much about the internet and why I need to make sure my students are safe. Too many hidden dangers are found online and I believe it is my job as a teacher to be aware of them. Something I thought was a really good idea was to keep the family computer in a high frequency area so you can monitor what students and your children are doing. I also have learned so much about what the general authorities think of the internet. They say that it is a great resource but can be alluring and appealing in a negative way. Be careful and be knowledgeable are the 2 most important things I believe I learned from these readings.
3. How will what you have read influence your actions as a parent and/or teacher of children and youth? I know that from reading these articles I am a lot more conscious. I am not a parent yet, but when I am I will monitor what my children are doing. I refuse to give my children their own computer. In every sad story I watched there was always a computer in the child’s room. As a teacher I think I am going to teach a lesson on internet safety. I want my students to be aware of the dangers that lurk online. It is my duty to protect them and give them the information they need.
4. How can you use what you have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on family and friends? I think so many people are naïve as to what is on the internet. I can be a positive source for teaching my friends and family members about what is going on online. I know my parents do not know all of the dangers that are online and they could benefit form my knowledge. I believe it is important to teach all those around me about how to keep their future children safe online. I can also be open-minded. I want my friends to know that if they ever run into trouble online they can turn to me.

Technology in the Classroom

I really liked how Stephanie and Chelsea used the prometheam board to teach a grammar lesson. I like the idea of having the students came up and were able to make corrections on the board. An underlying them of most powerpoints was that the students were actively engaged in the lesson. I think that technology is great because it gets the kids excited and ready to learn.

Technology Powerpoint

Technology Lesson

View more presentations from lexyreber.

A New Understanding

This week I was able to use my computer and an LCD projector to teach my students a concept of sink and float. I know my lesson below deals with the computer lab and kidpix, but I thought talking about my most recent lesson would be beneficial. I was able to find an online game that helped teach sink and float. I hooked up the projector to my computer and together my students and I completed the online activities. This week was a testament to me that students love technology and anytime you can incorporate it into a lesson you should. I believe my students learned more from the online activities and discussion then they did during my instruction. It was amazing to see their excitement.

Tech Classroom

It is amazing to me how little some schools have available technology, and how desperately they need those technologies. My teacher would love to have a projector in her classroom to help assist her in teaching. Students are so advanced these days that they almost need technology to stimulate their understanding of a topic. They get excited when you bring out the projector, use the TV, or use the computers that it makes them want to learn the material.
I discovered this week that computers are a great way to help students learn. This last week my class was able to go into the computer lab for writing. They were so excited to use the computers. They were able to complete the assignment faster and more effectively then if they just did it by hand in the classroom. They were so excited to type and print their individual projects.
I learned so much about the importance of technology in the classroom. If you have it, it is a great teaching tool.

Revolutionary War

http://sites.google.com/site/lexyreber/lexy-files

Grade 5 Standard 2 objective 2a
Plot a time line of the key events of the Revolutionary War.

Pedagogy:
The lesson focus is mainly on observation and analysis of new information. As the students watch and participate in the tour of the major battle locations of the Revolutionary war they will come across lots of new information, students will be required to analyze what they are learning and apply it in various forms such as journal entries and short stories. These activities are a good way to get students to be actively engaged in the learning process; while some things will be directly taught the students will also be required to search out and discover some things on their own. As the students complete the tour and work on the activities at each site, they will also fill in their own timeline of the key events/battles that occurred during the war. This pedagogy works well with the content as the students will be working actively to learn about each of the battles and then they will be able to meet the core standard by creating their own timeline.

Technology:
We will be using Google Earth to create and present a tour of the locations of the main battles of the Revolutionary War. This technology works well for the lesson being taught as it allows the students to explore the different locations without having to actually go there. Students will be able to visualize what it is like at each of these locations as well as get an idea of where each battle location is in relation to the others. This also works well with the content as the battle locations will be visited in chronological order during the tour.

Digital Storytelling

Storyboard

What is the content you’ll be using in your lesson?
For this lesson I decided to take an old English folk song and turn it into a storybook using creative thinking and modern technology. I have geared it for a second grade class and have chosen 2 standards and objectives that help focus my lesson.

Standard 1 objective 2b Use a variety of formats (e.g., drama, sharing of books and personal writings, choral readings, informational reports, retelling experiences, and stories in sequence) in presenting with various forms of media (e.g., pictures, posters, charts, ads, newspapers).

Standard 8 objective 6f Share writing with others using illustrations, graphs, and/or charts to add meaning.

What is the pedagogy you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
The pedagogy I am using is that of storytelling, personal interpretation of a text, and hands on creating and learning. Through this assignment I want my students to see and understand that taking an old text, or song in this case, and adding your own spin to it can be fun and exciting. I want my students to know that they can add their own spin on any text. This fits in well with my content because it will help students understand that there are different ways to present a book. It will also give them a hands on feel of books, and how to add meaning to them with illustrations.

What is the technology you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
I will be using digital storytelling to help me with this lesson. This fits in well with my content because it focuses on using a different form of media to express a story. We are taking a book and showing kids how to share them through a digital media. This technology also works great with standard 8 because we are using music, and pictures to add meaning to a text. Digital storytelling is also a great media tool when working with the pedagogy that I have chosen for this lesson. It will help me demonstrate to my students just how exciting old stories told in a new way can be modernized and exciting with the help of technology.

Tech Savvy Teachers

What is the content you are focusing on in your science lesson?
In my lesson I am focusing on 2nd Grade: Lifecycle Properties of rocks. The rocks that my students will identify are sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous.

What is the pedagogy you are using and why is it a good fit with the content?
The pedagogy I am using is a hands on, and learning by discovery lesson. During the assignment I did not tell my students anything about the rocks that they were going to look at. I wanted my students to list the attributes of all the rocks and show that they can see the differences and tell them to me, instead of me just telling them. I think that this pedagogy is good because it enhances critical thinking and observation skills in my students. It is a good fit for with my content knowledge because it lets my students hold, see, and feel all of the rocks getting a more complete understanding of each of them.

What is the technology you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
The technology that we will be using is the digital microscope. I think that this fits perfectly with my content and pedagogy because it is hands on and discovery, but it helps magnify the details of the rocks giving students a better understanding of what those rocks are made of. The microscope also takes pictures, which will allow my students to remember and reference back to their findings. Using this technology with rock identification is a great way to help students learn, because it magnifies the rocks and makes their small details that indentify them larger. By using a hands on, discovery based learning students can use the microscope and the rocks to help them identify the rocks they are looking at.

The Tech Savvy Teacher

TPACK

1. Add a post explaining what you understand about TPACK and why it is necessary for teachers to have this knowledge.
TPACK: The TPACK framework is a way of thinking about how you integrate technology into your teaching. It stands for Technological Pedagogical And Content Knowledge. I have learned so much about TPACK. I think that it is important to have a firm knowledge on all three main aspects of TPACK. If you have a firm understanding of technological, pedagogical and content knowledge then you will be able to create a lesson that will help all students learn. It is important for teachers to have this knowledge because it will help their students to learn. If you can have can obtain a firm grasp of TPACK then you will be more successful as a teacher.
2. Also include a post on your blog about one of the science/math technologies you explored.
I explored the use of the temperature rods. I think that if you have the right project and lesson then these rods would be fun. Although they are fun to work with I have a hard time seeing how they could really help students understand a difficult concept. This project helped me see that just because something is cool and fun, doesn’t mean it is the right source to use.

Using RSS, Goodreads and Delicious

I had such a great time in class this week! I never knew that there were so many wonderful resources for teachers. I believe that I would use these tools everyday. I really like the RSS because it is a fast and easy way to get updated on the latest news and events. RSS provides a great way for me to check all of the headlines while only having to check one site. I would use RSS everyday to update myself on current educational events. I also really love Delicious and Goodreads. Goodreads is great because I can look at what other books my friends are using in their classrooms. I would use Goodreads to update my own book list with books friends and colleagues use for their classes. All of these resources will help me to become a better teacher and to become more efficient online and in the classroom.

School Blog

This is my school blog! I am excited to have it up and running! I am not very technological savvy! I can send emails, post on a blog, and use google! I am excited to learn about how to use different forms of technology and how to implement them into my classroom.