Spelling Review Podcast

It is finally here!

http://www.humyo.com/F/92348331

Podcasting

Wow! The world of podcasting is more complicated than I first suspected. The materials are all common and easy to find, it is the work that goes into the script and preparation that surprised me.

I can see this generation and ones to come really enjoying the capabilities of podcasting. It incorporates everything we have discussed so far in this course; technology. Kids love and use it everyday. I can see a use for it in the classroom, replacing traditional book reports, doing weather announcements for a month long weather unit, and including it in on a class blog or wiki, sharing information the students has research. It can also be implemented in the library as a way to provide a book review. The Spanish teacher can post lessons to the schools website so students can have extra practice. I personally could utilize it to record a lesson or lesson demonstration for sick classmates to view.

Is this technology replacing common practices in schools? Just like power point presentations started replacing the common written report, I think podcasting is the “new” thing. With power points students can add graphics to help explain the topic they are presenting. While podcasting is solely voice, a vodcast can go much further than a power point and include a live demonstration or more realistic visuals for students.

I hope to get a podcast up and running soon.

Learning Something New Everyday

Microsoft Wrod has capabilities past your basic word processing document and I recently found this out after viewing the "Microsoft Word Newsletter" video from Atomic Learning (http://movies.atomiclearning.com/k12/workshops ). I found this segment to be eye opening. I consider myself very knowledgeable of word and am often able to assist colleagues with questions they have concerning formatting and picture inserts. As I viewed the instructional videos I followed along implementing the suggestions in a blank word document. The lessons I learned out numbered the information they presented that I already knew. I especially enjoyed discovering how to format the page breaks. These always seem to cause me headaches. The learning series also reminded me to incorporate graphics in my newsletters. The graphics can be watermarks, clip art, pictures from files, or call out bubbles.

I email a weekly newsletter to all my parents each Friday. The newsletter I currently use I found on the internet. I have also been frustrated with my lack of control and being able to change the formatting.

I hope to take my newsletters to a new level and have students begin submitting stories. I plan on continuing to format the newsletter, but would like to see it more student driven. I will also post the newsletters weekly on the classroom blog (which I am still visualizing and hope will be up and running by the next school year).

Did You Know?

The link below will connect you to a video on "You tube" called Did You Know?. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U&eurl=http://www.courses.bakeru.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_7565_1&content_id=_222197_1

The video resinated with me. It presents a significant amount of information I have heard in passing, but haven't taken the time to really contemplate. After viewing this clip, I thought of my classroom. I started asking myself if I was preparing my students for the world to come. Am I exposing them to a variety of technology? I am not where I would like to be in terms of technology use in my classroom. I would like to incorporate blogs, podcasts, wikispaces, and provide better communication with my students and parents, through the use of the web.

As educators it is our responsiblity to expose children to these new technologies. I look at this field as a part of the sciences. Although we do not have the extra time to dive deep into all the wonderful things the internet and technology devices have to offer, I do believe it is our responsibility to provide these opportunities to our students. Not only should we bring this into our classroom for the purpose of educating our students in this field, but technology is an interest of most students. We should be using it to engage our students.

Where do we go from here? In my classroom I hope to begin slowly adding internet based resources and blogs. We can only begin to do our part and change our teaching and when new advances are made, change our thinking again.

Useful Blog-3rd Grade Classroom Blog

When creating this blog, I knew instantly it would be for classroom use. However, I was unsure how I was going to utilize it in my classroom. I began brain storming and sketching out all the useful ways this blog could be used in classroom and at home by my students and parents. I decided I wanted it to be a hub for our classroom and events happening within. I hoped it would become (eventually) a place where students could respond to prompts, and have class discussions. I mention all of this because I have begun utilizing a great blog which encompasses all I hope my blog to be. This blog is mentioned in the text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that works, written by Howard Pitler, Elizabeth Hubbell, Matt Kuhn, and Kim Malenoski.

www.mrwrightsclass.com come complete with updates, newsletters, and educational links for parents and students. It reflects the happenings in a 3rd grade class.