Screen Cast=Google Maps!

For my screen cast assignment I decided to show people how to use Google Maps. I really enjoyed the Maps project we had for class so I decided to put into my own words how to do it. Although it is not quite as detailed as Professor Fryer's I do think that I got the basics covered and it can be a quick tutorial for those who like to experiment with different things on the internet!

Week 15 Scribe Blog Post

In Week 15 we basically reviewed. Professor Fyer reviewed with us how to upload our unit plans to eportfolio. We also talked about our assignments and when they were all due. In addition we talked some more about our Pecha Kucha assignments and further how to accomplish those and get them done. It was a wrap up of the whole semester and making sure we were ready to finish everything we needed to. After all of that instruction we went on to view two Pecha Kutcha presentations by our classmates. The first one was about sharks and had beautiful pictures. Her information was amazing and I really learned something when listening to this presentation. The next one was about farmers in America and why they are so important to us. This presentation was very touching as the presenter brought in some of her own personal feelings on the matter since her father is a farmer. Her pictures were also very good and it was very well put together. Both presenters did a fabulous job and I only hope my presentation is half as good.

Pecha Kucha

This is my Pecha Kucha presentation. I did is over the history of soccer since soccer is a passion of mine and I wanted to let others in on how it was started and developed.

Second Life

This video "Orientation in Second Life" showed various aspects of second life as well as how new users are introduced. The biggest thing that I took away from this video was that there are in fact so many ways that certain things can be explained and how people respond differently to these. Not all people understand certain explanations and this video goes through the many ways that they explain how to use second life. Everyone learns differently and thus there need to be many ways available to people as instructions to use things. Second Life does this and provides instructions varying from a manual to a video instruction. I think this is beneficial to people and is a must with a product like this.

The way I relate to this is in my life is in a very big way. Sometimes reading instructions does not necessarily sink in from me. I really saw this when I bought my eportfolio for school. Reading the instructions for this product, I just did not get. I thought I was reading it right and I wasn't. I finally asked for help and with the walk through I was able to finally understand. Also in my technology for teachers class, the way professor Fryer includes video tutorials with the lessons is very beneficial to me. I find myself more of a visual learner and being able to see him go through it step by step specifically really helps me. With second life, they are really appealing to the masses as providing more than just one way to be able to learn how to use their product.

With this video it became really apparent how differently people learn. I can use this in my teaching style by being aware of this. Not everyone can just read directions and know what to do some people have to be shown or to be told out loud. Second life really realized that and put it into action. They also made their user interface easy to use. It really is about simplifying things so that they are accessible to people and they can get the most out of them. As a teacher I can use that too. I don't want to make things too difficult so that no one understands and I spend all my time explaining. No one gains from that, but if I simplify then everyone is able to get the most out of it and feel successful for it.

Google Survey

I did my google survey on vacations. My goal in this was to find out what people liked to do best on vacations. Oddly enough I have not received any feedback on my survey. Or I cannot see if anyone has been able to take it. As such I have no results or feed back.

W.o.W

The biggest thing that I took away from this video about Sam was the inter-activeness of technology. Sam really exemplified how a regular student uses technology in a regular day. She uses technology to help her in activities in her everyday life. She downloaded an audio book to have it read to her because she didn't understand it the first time around. She also used technology when practicing the piano. She is finding practical ways to use what is available to her. She also uses technology for recreation. Sam really shows us a typical teen of today. They are becoming more and more adept with finding and using things on the internet and getting creative with that.

How I relate to this video is Sam's use of World of Warcraft. I have many friends that play that game and the way it was presented in this video I have never thought of before. It really is a social network and people are interacting in a healthy way in this enviroment. They play together and are able to learn team work this way. Also Sam speaks of how much she texts and I agree with that completely. No one really talks on the phone anymore. Everyone texts, its easier and faster and it is really taking over the world. I also relate to the mention of social networking sites because of course I have a facebook.

I can relate this to my own teaching practices because I can learn from Sam how the kids in my classroom are going to be. Most kids I'm going to teach are going to text all the time and always be on their phone. I have to realize that and deal with it so that it doesn't interfere with their learning. Also they are going to be very active on the internet and very active with technology. Knowing this I can apply this to my lesson plans and intergrate technology projects. Knowing the kids you teach is a very important aspect of teaching. If you don't know your audience how can you appeal to them? This video was very informative as to that information and will help me in the future.

WiKi's

What I saw as the biggest takeaway from this video is how kids can see things in different ways and thus can learn things better. This video talks about wikis and kids that create them and are learning at the same time. Wikis provided these kids to express their passions and then other kids can go look at them and then maybe understand that subject from the point of view of their peers. It is always more effective learning from your peer than anyone else. It is like they are on your level and they can better explain it to you. The kids can also collaborate and add to their peer's work. Using these techniques in school help kids learn and also learn how to work together.

This connects with my real life because this video informed me of a new way to share information. Wikis are really a foreign subject to me. I see its uses and how effective it can be I just never really knew about it. There are so many ways that you can use this internet function its really amazing because I usually use the internet for searching or emailing. I don't really venture out of my comfort zone or go out looking for new things that I could potentially use. This video just really opened my eyes to what I can do with the resources available to me.

This connects with me because as a future teacher I can use wikis in my classroom. I could create a wiki for my class where they would be able to view class content and homework and the class would be able to collaborate on there as well. I could also use wikis as a class project where kids can pick a topic they are passionate about and make a wiki around that and having their classmates collaborate on it. I just think that this would more engage my students and make the class more interesting. When the class is more interesting then students get more out of the class and learn better. Also anything with a computer these days kids automatically jump at because the internet is exciting and fun to them.

Do They Have an App for That?

The video by Joyce Valenza was extremely informative. I think the thing I took away from this most is all of the different things avaliable to a student out there on the internet. It is just mind boggleing how many resources are avaliable out there for students. Also the value of a digital footprint and safety was a big part of the video. I found it valuable how we need to be careful what we do on the internet and the sources that we look at. All of the interactive things on the internet such as wikis I also found interesting. It was just kind of overwhelming to me and a lot to take in, but at the same time I did take alot away from it.

The way this video really connected to my own life is really when she was talking about research and citations. I have been in a class this semester where the whole class was based on a research paper. I have been doing so much research and have even utilized one of the sites that she talked about in the video. However I really felt a connection when she was speaking about wikipedia and how checking your sources was important. Also when the scarecrow spoke about how overwhelmed he felt with information, I have felt the exact same way. In the end I organized it the old fashioned way, but it could have been easier organizing it in another way that she presented.

This video relates with me as a future educator because just like Joyce I want to make sure that my students know all of the resources avaliable. Especially when I'm a history teacher and research is a big part of history. I can use this video and the research apps that she described on it. That way my students will know all of their resources and not be stressed or overwhelmed. Because as an educator I want my students to feel comfortable with assignments and know all of the ways that they can get it done. I just want to be avaliable to my students and make things avaliable for them when I'm not there. This video is very informative as to how I can do that for them.

I went and visited Bibme.com and found it a really cool website. I visited this website because it has the most relvance to me. This is a website that I could use on an actual basis. I typed in one of my sources for my resource paper and got a citation and I found it easy and helpful. I would reccommend this website to my classmates and future college students that need to write a research paper. I'm glad I watched this video and learned of this website.

My Voice Thread

My voicethread is about how to shoot a soccer ball. My friend Katy was nice enough to pose for the pictures! I hope you enjoy!

Blog Comments

I commented on blogs at Huzzah! an educational blog website. The first one I commented on was about Haiti and the student wrote a poem. The next one I commented on was about DARE and activities that students can do besides drugs. Both of my comments are awaiting approval.

For my blog comments I made for my fellow classmates I commented on one post about the Luis video and then another one about Project based learning.

DigiTeen

This video is about the Digiteen program that was put on by Westwood schools. Through this program students learned about what it takes to be a proper Digital Citizen. What I took away from this video is really how dangerous driving while texting is. As one of their Digiteen projects the students compiled information and statistics about driving while texting. They then compared this information with driving while intoxicated. Their findings were shocking. I could not believe it because I do text while I'm driving. While I know that this act is dangerous I still do it never realizing how dangerous it actually is. This video really opened my eyes and I'm going to think twice before I text while driving again.

I can relate to this video not only because I have texted while driving before but also because I belong to a social networking site. I have a facebook and I put pictures up and write status updates and use everything facebook has to offer. In one of the student made videos they made it clear how dangerous those sites can be if the wrong information is put up. Some people have lost jobs over inappropriate things posted or not given the job. Also lying on the page can be dangerous too, like kids on myspace lying about their age. That kind of lying can attract sexual predators. Since seeing this video I am going to make sure all my bases are covered on my facebook page so I don't have anything on there that could potentially cost me a job.

Some of the implications of this video is how dangerous the internet can actually be. There are so many people out there trying to take advantage of people and sometimes we make it easy for them. As a future educator what I can take from this is the importance of informing my students of the consequences of the internet when it is not used properly. In one of the student videos it was addressed that parents expect the schools to teach this while the schools expect the parents to teach this. This made me think, why not turn this around? I feel it is my need to make sure that the kids I teach are responsible in their internet habits and that I inform them of the consequences.

Project Based Learning

In this edutopia video I really took away how much more a person can take away and learn from an expericence when it is something that they enjoy. With project based learning, these programs provide students an opportunity to learn about what interests them instead of being fed the same knowledge from textbooks over and over again. The kids become emotional invested in these projects and in the video you could really see them striving to learn more and more. That is not what you typically see in a classroom setting. These kids were excited about learning. I think the most important thing to take away is that when you are doing something that you love you automatically do a better job and are more passionate about it.

I connect with this video because I remember when I was in school and I always loved to write. However most of the topics we were given were boring or state test driven. Then my teacher assigned a research paper and told us we could pick any topic we wanted as long as she approved it. I was very interested in the Blood Diamond trade in Africa at the time an that became my topic. I researched so much information for that paper and I ended up exceeding the page limit by a lot. This was all because I was passionate about the project and it was something I was interested in just like the kids in the video.

As a future educator, this really opened my eyes to the importance of project based learning. This type of learning can really help kids and give them a direction in their life by seeing this is what I love and this is what I can do with it. I think most importantly of all is the future implications that project based learning has. When given a project that they can work on and they are passionate about in real world terms the kids can see that maybe they can make a career out of this or maybe this is the direction of study I want to take in college. This type of learning is very direction oriented and in the long run the kids learn more. I am a supporter of this type of learning and I hope in my classroom I can implement this as much as possible.

Learning How to Ski!

Student Posted Informative Video

Oceans on the Brink of Extinction on Prezi

Technology Club

In the story about Luis we see a young kid really coming of age and finding himself with technology. He seems as if he is a quiet guy and with his hard work and determination and interest in technology he is able to find success. What I take away from this video is the fact that both of his parents are immigrants and he is able to persevere and not only help them find a place in America but also help himself and be quite successful. He is also going to be the first one is his family to go to college. You just see with Luis's story what hard work and an interest in something can do for someone.

I connect with Luis's story because like him I took all AP classes in high school and worked hard. However unlike him I really never knew what I wanted to do. Eventually when I got to college I figured it out. I just wish that I had a program like the technology club Luis was apart of that could help me find my way. With the technology club Luis was able to discover something that he loved and how he could use that in the real world. It also is helping him get to college and I think that is wonderful.

This really goes to show that schools that put effort into their after school programs really help students in the long run. However its not only the schools but the teachers that encourage the students to join the clubs and pursue what they are interested in because you never know you could make a career out of something that you love. As a future teacher I can take away from this video the importance that after school programs can have on students and their future.

A Peek For a Week

In the Video "A Peek for a Week", you get a first hand look at technology being used in a classroom and very effectivly. What I took away from this video is that technology can be used in a classroom setting and it can be used naturally and in every aspect. Always my thoughts have been that technology in the classroom causes distractions and can only be used in certain areas and takes up way too much time. However after watching this video it is evident that what I thought before is false. They use technology in every aspect of the classroom, of course also using traditional methods, but the class flows and the kids end up learning more. They even use technology to help the kids with their fitness too which I thought was cool.

This really doesn't connect with me in my own life because I have never used so much technology in a classroom until this class. I think it is amazing that these kids are able to do this and that these teachers can provide them with this. I wish when I was in grade school my teachers paid so much attention to technology because maybe now I would know a little bit more. I'm not very technologically literate, but I try. I just think that maybe if I would have had more of a focus on technology in school, because it is such a big part of our society, I might be able to do more things.

I want to use this video as an example of how I want my future students to learn. The skills the students in the video have learned are so valuable to them in the future. I want to be able to provide my future students with that kind of knowledge and know how. I want to be able to give them all the tools necessary to be able to succeed in this technologically driven world.

Nafiza

The video Digital Youth Portrait about Nafiza shows how a teenager uses technology in her everyday life. My most signifigant takeaway from this video is that international issues can be reached by any number of people in many different ways. In Nafiza's way we see her taking views on international issues from a techonolgical standpoint with the Darfur game. These techonology aspects help people learn about different issues in a way that can make sense to them. I think that this is a marvelous invention because we are educating people on issues they would otherwise know nothing about or care nothing about.

This connects to my own life because honestly I do not keep up with current issues. With this Games for Change contest, I think that it puts world issues on a whole new stage. The news often seems boring and can be kind of painful to sit through and really get everything out of it that you need to. With this platform people can learn more about issues in a more interactive fun setting and then they can actually get out there and do something about the problem.

With this video it becomes evident the power of a student made video on other students. We see this with Nafiza and her judging the Games for Change contest. She learned more about world issues. I think in my classroom setting this can be taken where students could make videos for a lesson. It always seems that students are the best teachers themselves, that once explained by a classmate then the class can get it. I think that that would be very effective and ultimately help the learning of my future class.

About Me

My name is Beth Helm. I am originally from Frisco, Texas. That is where I went to high school and basically grew up. I came to the University of Central Oklahoma to go to school and play soccer. I originally did not plan on becoming a teacher when I first came to this school but after the first semester of my sophomore year I knew that was what I want to do. I am majoring in History for Education and I plan to go on and get my masters degree in Counseling. I really want to become a teacher to help kids. I love helping people so I think I should reflect that in my professional career. I hope to become the best educator that I can!

Blogging Buddies Reflection

In the video We Like our Blogging Buddies: The Write Stuff with Blogging Mentors the most signifigant thing that I took away from this video is how truly effective blogging can be. I loved what the two instructors were doing in this video and I think it was a great idea that they had to both help the first grade students with writing and get the college students some teaching experience. I would have never thought blogging could have been so effective. I guess I just have a bias view of it from my experience. The only time I have ever really seen blogs have been with myspace or Twitter which I have thought have had no merit than for people to tell everyone else what they are doing and thinking. However this video opened my eyes to how truly effective blogs can be. I wish that I could be apart of this project and have a blogging buddy.

The ideas from this video connect to my own life because the people in this experience, well the college students, thats me. They are doing exactly what I am doing and trying to become an educator. They probably have most of the same requirements for school as me and this is a new project to further help them become better educators in the future. I envy them for having that opportunity because I think it would be so cool to have that experience to help kids with their writing like that. And like I said in the previous paragraph I have never really experienced anyone using a blog like this before. I just think it was an awesome idea and should be employed at more schools, I think it could really help the students as well as the educators.

Some implications of this video are that now I have the idea in my head that blogging is an effective teaching tool. Everyone can improve on their writing and blogging provides a forum for others to read what you wrote and then help you improve it. In my future teaching career this method will definitely be in my head as a tool to help my students improve their writing. As far as the Pedagogic creed goes, this further helps kids become literate and as an educator that is one of our main goals. Think as to how much further these kids can go with getting constructive critisism on thier writing. School in the future will be so much easier for them because they have gotten extra help. I really enjoyed this video and took alot away from it.

Cameron's Video Reflection

In the video entitled Digital Generation Project Youth Portrait: Cameron, which can be viewed at http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-profile-cameron-video. This video was very relevant to our society today. I really learned in the process of viewing this video all the possiblilities that techonology has in a classroom and how effective of a teaching tool it can be. It was also amazing to see how young of a boy could be so adept at technology and was actually teaching adults how to use the new technology. I took away from the video how productive and active kids can be with technology and I really appreciated it because it showed how technology can span the generations and really connect us all.

This video relates to experinces in my life in that when I was in high school there were many kids doing things just like Cameron is doing. They were far older that Cameron but they were still very adept with techonology. Every Friday we had video announcements and they really made it look like a news cast from television and everyone always loved it because it was new and different and exciting and we were always proud of our classmates for being able to do this knowing that most of us could not accomplish that. This video also made a connection with me because I thought it was awesome to see a kid using technology in a positive way and not just to play games as it the conception of kids using the interenet and computers. Cameron is really bringing in the new generation of technology and how it can be used.

The implications of this video really drive home that techonology can and should be used in the classroom and it can be used very effectively. You can see in this video that using technology in making lessons interactive make students more excited to learn. With watching this video as a future educator I saw how I could get my students more involved and use all of my technology resources to make my job easier and more effective for the students. Also what I have learned will help me follow the Pedagogic creed as an educator and use all my resources to help educate the students under my care.