Strengths and Weaknesses

After looking at UNI survey and NET Standards, I found that my strengths are that I have used a lot of technology and I am comfortable with it. I do however need to improve on applying technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity. Making the most of a technology lesson is the biggest thing I would like to improve on.

I have been looking at http://www.eduscapes.com/sessions/itotems/ and http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction for professional development in my week area of having meaningful lessons. I liked the idea of the Itotems because of the guidelines I could use to make sure the lessons are worthwhile. I also enjoyed the lessons on Edutopia.org. I liked how every part of school life had a component of technology that could be used.

By using this information, I hope to have a basis on where to take my class. I like how everything was interconnected sports teams gave data to the math department. Physics lessons were taken from the sports teams. Music was used in science to analyze sound. I would love to use something like this in my classroom. I believe that every thing in the world is connected on some way or another.

week 13 reflection final week of field

Jordan Oswald

Bobbie Paonessa

EDEL 3250 Section 1

EDEL 3250 Field Experience Service Learning Project

A. Ridgeline Elementary is located in Highland, Utah inside of Alpine School District. The elementary is home to 790 students with 33 kids in Mrs. Burtons fifth grade class.
B. Our relationship with Mrs. Burton was very open and friendly. She really liked how much we helped her in the class. We were grading papers, doing jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit ups, and we really got along with the kids.
C. Mrs Burton really liked the vidcast and the Digital story that we created. She thought they were nice.
D. Our Teacher was pleased with the lesson plans that we did. She liked that the kids enjoyed them.
E. The training session never took place. We approached her with the PhotoStory3, and she said that she was being honest and said that she would not ever use the program. So we did try to teach the lesson to her, but she did not want to spend the time to learn.
F. Since we weren’t able to teach PhotoStory3 to Mrs. Burton, we can’t say exactly. But we were prepared for a lesson. We would have liked to taught it, but each teacher has their own way of teaching.
G. Mrs. Burton was not interested in the technology, so our teacher didn’t gain much from the experience.
H. We learned that even though PhotoStory3 is a neat program with a lot of potential in the classroom, not all teachers will embrace these kinds of tools. We gathered that she thought it was a waste of time.
I. The Digital story and Vidcast was worth the time put in. All of the students liked the use of photoStory3, they all clapped when it was finished. As for the Service Learning, we would have liked to teach it to her.

week 12 reflection 4th week field

What: We have been able to use the technology in our field classroom. I wish our teacher wanted to learn about Photostory3.

So What: Being able to use the ELMO Digital overhead projector has been nice to use for lessons. I have really enjoyed the kids, and the experience, and I know that the kids were engaged with the digital stories, and vidcasts we have put together. I know that when our teacher put together a powerpoint, the kids actually wanted to look at what was being taught. It really wakes the kids up. Our teacher was not inclined to learn about photostory3 she said it would take too much time and she was not interested. I wish she could hear what the kids told us about our stories.

Now What: When I do a lesson plan from now on, I am doing a technology assisted lesson. I have so many ideas to get the kids awake, and learning. I have seen it for myself in the classroom field experience. The students wanted to see our digital story, and vidcast and they really liked them. I really hope that I am able to learn new things and not turn down education.

week 11 reflection 3rd week field

What: I am learning about how a vidcast and a projector really help in the classroom.

So What: I have been able to create a vidcast for our Veteran's day Socratic discussion. I was able to find images on google, locate "Taps" on the internet and make something unique that started a discussion about veterans. The students all wanted to watch the vidcast again they all discussed the topic and the lesson went well.

Now What: I really like the of creating something for a lesson plan doesn't have to take all day to prepare. I looked for pictures for 25 min, and mixed and added music in photostory3 for 35 minutes. One hour and I had the vidcast I wanted for that lesson. I can see the same application for students to find things for an assignment I think the kids would love to do something like that too.

week 10 reflection 2nd week field

what I am learning about how to integrate technology into my field classroom.

So what: I have been able to use my laptop that is hooked up to the projector. I learned that preparation is the key to a good experience with tech tools. I was searching around for several different speakers, cables, and making sure connections were made to make the whole thing work. There would be nothing more frustrating than to not have it work or just describe the thing you were working on. So preperation is the key.

Now what: I still would like to have the digital story, and vidcasts be a big part of my lesson planning. I want to wake these kids up. I did a brain booster which was a song. Those kids didn't know what to do. I think our teacher doesn't do any extra frills or things like that. She is nice, but there could be a lot more she could be doing to have fun. She even admitted that she is burned out. I want to liven things up and make my classroom lively and more fun.

week 9 reflection

What: we are learning about our digital stories and preparing them.

So What: a digital story can be a great tool to get the attention of the class. I believe that we are doing this so we can present subjects that will get kids excited. Far too often I have seen teachers who just print handout after handout to satisfy the curriculum standards. WHY? Why don't those kids deserve a chance to have something more. A digital story can do that for any subject.

Now what: I know that kids are very smart and creative. I would like the chance for my students to create a vidcast, or digital story or something that would wake them up. I am very excited to be proficient at creating a digital story for my classroom. I have listened to my fellow classmates argue and complain about various things they have to do, and I just am surprised that they don't see the value in just doing the assignment. I realize a digital story takes a lot of time at first, but I cant see anything else that wakes the kids up as much as music, pictures and a good story.

week 8 reflection

What: In class we learned about copyright issues in the classroom.

So What: Copyright infringement is a big deal it is stealing, and that is something never encouraged in the classroom. When a student takes something and calls it their own, the only learning that goes on is how to copy and paste. Students need to realize that just because it is on the internet and you functionally can download it you probably should check before you do.

Now what: I think that this information will change how I view writing assignments, if I see something that I don't think a student would write I will check it. I like the idea of informing the student and offering a choice before there is action taken. I never liked the idea of people using my hard work and saying that they had done it. that is dishonest and I don't want that in my classroom.