Technology Reflections

We are in crunch time for making sure our students are ready for the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). I don’t teach to the test, but I do make sure that during the last month before the test my students know the terminology that they will see on the test and that their test taking skills are perfected.

We have given our students Benchmark tests a few times this year and as a school we have determined that Vocabulary (Words and Phrases in Context) and Reference and Research are two of our areas of need. For the past two weeks I have done vocabulary activities in my classes. My 8th grade Computer class and all my 7th grade reading classes are finishing up Root Word Clusters made with Inspiration software. This week I’m adding something that I learned about at FETC – Princeton Review Vocabulary Minute. You can also find them on iTunes. These are short songs reminiscent of School House Rock that are about various aspects of vocabulary. They do not come with the lyrics, so I sat down today and typed up the words to two of the songs:

bene-is-a-good-boy.doc

delicious.doc

I plan to do these as warm ups, so I added some directions and follow up on the pages.

Each week we have an Instructional Focus. This week’s is Reference and Research. My 8th Grade Computer kids will be doing a research project in which they will have to do research on the Unnamed Hurricane of 1928. 8th graders in Florida have an additional part of the FCAT which is to write a 5-paragraph essay. My students will write an report in the style of the required essay. After that, they will turn it into a documentary using PhotoStory 3. I have used PhotoStory already this year, but I did pick up some new tips for using it at FETC. The students will be required to use photographs, text, music and narration for their documentaries.

My 6th and 7th grade computer kids will also be doing some researched based activities, but on a smaller scale. Their work is coming from a product called EdClass. They will do these projects while learning how to use Microsoft Word in a more productive way.

I’m back from FETC! For some reason I find that every other year the pickings are lean for me……let me repeat that FOR ME. I’m not in any way, shape or form saying that FETC was not up to it’s usual par. Last year I found tons of stuff for me, software and ideas, so naturally, this year I only found a few things. But they were good things!

I have wanted a Mimio Interactive Whiteboard for years – the price is right and my Media Specialist, who was with me this year, has agreed to purchase one for me I showed it to the math teacher who was with us and he wants one too – I’ll share mine with him for the rest of this year and we’ll try to get him one next year.

I also got some good info on making Digital Stories better. Just some small tips to take them up a level. I did some workshops on podcasting, which is something that I want to do, but haven’t felt that I have enough knowledge to do. Too bad we don’t have Macs because Garageband is the coolest thing! I will do podcasts with audacity and other tools.

Did you know that headphones use the same technology as microphones? If you plug headphones into the microphone jack you can use them as a microphone! My students are doing that to narrate their digital stories. The quality is not as good as if you used a microphone, but until I figure out how often I’ll podcast, I’m starting out with headphones (Note: I didn’t learn this at FETC – I learned it from my friend’s 14 year old son)

I didn’t win an ipod as a matter of fact I didn’t win anything. But I have decided that I NEED a video ipod, so I’ll be buying one next weekend

I have a ton of stuff to go through and new websites to visit – I’ll post any other good stuff as I find it.

This Wednesday, January 24th, I’m heading to FETC – Florida Educational Technology Conference – held in Orlando. I have gone to this conference for the past 4 years (I think this is year #5). I also went 8 years ago.

I love this conference! Every year I get some great ideas to use in my classroom – software and best practices. One year I won a copy of Office 2003 and last year I won a copy of OneNote. This year I really want to win a new ipod

There are two software programs that I found last year that I still use in my classroom, and will continue to use. EdClass is a program with lessons that integrate core curriculum with Office products. It is only for Windows (maybe they have a Mac version that I am not aware of) and offers options for Win98, 2000 and XP. You can also choose your Office version from 2000, XP or 2003. I bought this for use as my computer curriculum, but my media specialist thought it would be great for everyone. There are plenty of activities to go around. I did a (poorly attended) training and then no one ever used the program.

The other program that I found last year is my favorite! NetSupportSchool is a program that allows me to monitor the computers in my classroom. It not only lets me *spy* on the students’ computers, but it also lets me take control of their computers in order to help. It also lets me broadcast lessons and videos from my computer to all of theirs. I can even log on, log off, shutdown and reboot the computers from my workstation. There is so much that this program does and I haven’t even learned it all. We bought this program for my computer lab, and two other rooms. The research teacher has a mini-lab of 13 computers and the media center has a full lab of 25 computers. For some reason we never installed the program in those rooms. That reminds me to check on that next week. We should do it in the media center at least. We didn’t have a permanent research teacher at the beginning of the year, and then when we did hire one, I didn’t want to overwhelm her with added technology.

I am looking forward to finding new ideas at this year’s FETC. Is anyone else out there who reads my blog going?

No! Not thoughts on when or if to shower, but thoughts that I have while in the shower

I’ve blogged a lot this week about lesson plans for next week and I really thought I had it down, but I also had a nagging thought that I even voiced in a post (see bold below).

I was looking at some wikis that I had created, but never actually used with my classes and I decided to resurrect them. When we were reading our first novel, Tangerine by Edward Bloor, I set up a wiki for the kids to write a summary and discuss characters, plot development, themes and symbols. I never got around to doing it with them, though. We have one more week of reading Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech so I set up a wiki for them to discuss this book. I need the kids to complete everything by the end of next week, though – only 4 days of classes. I’ll have to assign some for homework, but I’ll give them class time to complete the work too. Here’s the assignment as the kids will see it – Room 140 – Reading.

Well, I have decided that it is NOT enough time to teach them how to use the wiki and have them do a good job summarizing the book on the wiki with only 4 school days. Instead, I’m going to have them complete a neat thing The Reflective Teacher posted on his blog a while back – The PocketMod. We will discuss themes and symbols and characters and setting and main idea and all those other things we do to analyze novels and they will write it out on the PocketMod. Each flap will have a different requirement (that I’ve yet to work out, but I will right after I finish this post ). I have tons of colored printer paper, so the kids can choose their own colors. The can also illustrate as appropriate, but what they have to say will be what they are graded on. Hmm I think I’ll have the kids help me develop the rubric (if there’s time).

I was planning on using the PocketMod for the skills we cover in Reading as some state test prep so this will be good practice for using it well.

Ok – now I need to go edit the assignment on the classroom blog and change my lesson plans.