Learn from the Past, Imagine the Future

To summarize the experiences from this class, I found a very appropriate website to help further my knowledge about web 2.0 tools. Judy Brown's website, Learn from the Past, Imagine the Future summarizes tools that we've used in class, but also tools that will be useful as we are ready to begin new thrills with technology once we've mastered what we've learned thus far. She not only categorizes the tools but gives a brief description about how they pretain to education in the classroom. One of the tools that I found to be very interesting is the online gradebook that is free! In my school we are not required to have the grade online and because of this do not have a system for keeping grades. That is definately something I will be looking into further. I encourage you to check out her site at http://www.judybrown.com/tools.html and see what useful information you can take from it! Enjoy :)

Experiences with using Web 2.0

During my last graduate course my eyes were opened to the wide world of technology. It amazes me just how much more technology tools are out there since I received my undergraduate degree. I feel after taking these courses I am on my way to achieving some satisfaction in the classroom when using technology. Some of my favorite tools I have use in this class so far were podcasts, vodcasts, and my favorite blogging!! It was great that I was able to incorporate these tools into my classroom after using giving them a try in class. I received so many positive comments from my parents and really saw my students more motivated than ever when using these tools. Overall, this class had such a positive impact on my teaching.

Vodcast-Johnny Appleseed

Here is a vodcast of my second graders performing the play "Johnny Appleseed."

Inclusion Week

The first week of December is coming to be known as "Inclusion Week" for schools all across America. The article that I read this week can be found at http://www.inclusiveschools.org/week. It was an informational article describing the positive aspects of having an week dedicated to this topic in your schools. I know in my school district we have done a couple different things to celebrate this week. Last year, we have a day called "mix-it-up" where older students sat with younger students at lunch. That way they could meet new friends and share their lunch time together. This year we are having a school wide-friendship week. Each student received a booklet and inside the booklet are "good deeds" the students can do to earn letters that spell out our school. We also watched school wide video that depicted "bullying" scenes and how to handle different scenerios. They video really set the tone for the project the students are working on over the next week.

Book Review Podcasts

One great site that I use for podcasts in my classroom is found on my librarian's website. The fourth graders at my school create podcasts about books they've read and give reviews for others to read. They are broken down into categories so students can find exactly the type of book they are searching for. My students know how navigate through the different podcasts until they find a book that sounds interesting and then they can go to the library to check it out. These podcasts are extremely helpful to promote books that are in the library and really makes the students want to read and read more. They enjoy listening to other student's voices the most! Check the podcasts out at http://www.mtlsd.org/markham_elementary/library.asp. You will need to scroll down the page until you find the section on student podcasts! Hope you will find this site as useful as I do!

Podcasting in the Classroom

This week for our assignment I decided to put podcasts to work in my classroom. I am always very excited about using my students to try out the new ideas I learn through my classes. Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I had my students team up and read a play about Squanto. Not only did the podcasts teach them the value of speaking clearly and fluently but it also taught them about patience and team work. To listen to my students podcasts, reciting the play, Squanto's Home, check out my school librarian's website at http://www.mtlsd.org/markham_elementary/library.asp. They can be found under the category Thanksgiving Podcasts by Second Grade, Room 9. There were 3 different groups each reciting the same play. I used audacity to record them and then turned them into MP3's so they will play on any computer that contains Windows Media Player. Enjoy :)

In Need of A New Vehicle

In a recent blog titled, "We Need a New Vehicle," it addressess social issues that are affecting student learning. I responded to this blog because I have been exposed to schools where students come from "rough" family situations. I could easily see how they were being affected and exactly why they acted out the way they did. Its funny how the ones who are in need of the most attention/instruction receive the least amount of it. To check out the blog visit http://www.assortedstuff.com/?p=2860#comments.

No Cupcake For You!

I was reading a lot of different blogs today and came across this one regarding bake sales being banned from a school in California. You can find the complete article at http://www.coreknowledge.org/blog/2008/10/27/no-cupcake-for-you/.

I found it interesting because the school district I work in has banned bake goods or any type of cosumable goodies in the school setting. Instead, students are encouraged to hand out pencils and erasers for their birthdays and they receive apples for holiday celebrations rather than junk food. They are just as excited about those types of goodies as they would be to eating foods that are not nutrious for them. They can't miss what they never had.

Social Bookmarking

Check out my bookmarks- most of the sites are for elementary teachers

http://delicious.com/Estrauch

Enjoy! :)

The Educated Blogger

I recently read an article by David Huffaker titled, "The educated blogger: Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom." I was searching around to learn more about using blogs in the classroom and learn about unique ways of incorporating them so my students will get the most out of it. I found his article and found it to be very insightful. My favorite part of his article was his links to teachers using blogs in the classroom. I found it to be very useful for ideas and it was great to actual see young students blogging! You can find the article at http://www.firstmonday.org/ISSUES/issue9_6/huffaker/#h4. Make sure to check out under the heading "Example blogs in the classroom," especially if you are new to blogging like I am.

Following my Feeds

After a week of following feeds on my RSS, I discovered how easy and manageable it is. Instead of looking up each website one at a time, it was very convienent to have them right at my fingertips and not have to continuously type in websites to view them. I typically view about 5-6 of the same websites daily and to have them on my RSS was not time-consuming at all. The RSS was easy to understand and easy to follow. I also like how you can add or delete in just clicking one button. Overall, the RSS has been a positive experience and I will continue to follow it, instead of looking up the websites each time.

Some of the most useful links that I added to my RSS are:

Mt. Lebanon School District

http://www.bloglines.com/myblogs_display?sub=76237768&site=11118495- Weather for my area.

Elementary Teacher Resources- This websites gives teachers all different ideas to use in the classroom. I really liked this site because she does a lot of demonstations through you-tube and teacher-tube which are very valuable.

Contribution to Wikipedia- Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

I found it very interesting that anybody is able to contribute to the Wikipedia website. Now, I realize how the site could not actually be considered a valuable reference to use when teaching students how to research and find meaningful information. I choose to contribute to an article about bullying in school settings. I added to this page because at my school we have adopted a bully prevention program last year. It really has shown to be affective in making students more aware of bullying and how to spot bullying when it is happening. It also, differentiates between "bullying" and "tattling" which is a great factor when dealing with the elementary grades. Overall, the program has shown, just in the last year, a huge decline in bullying behavior and has the school more united.

Giving Students Ownership of Learning

I read an article,"Giving Students Ownership of Learning." You can find the article at,http://anne.teachesme.com/2008/10/29/giving-students-ownership-of-learning/#comment-107475.

This article was very insightful and full of interesting information. The article discussed how we need to "rethink the role of schools and educators." It also discusses how students have the "potential" to become the teachers and the educators are the motivators in helping the children succeed. I thought this article was extremely eye-opening and really showed how education has changed in the past few years and how we, as educators, need to make the students become more responsible for their learning.

New to Blogging!

Hey everyone! My name is Erin and this is my first time using a blog. I am currently enrolled in at Waynesburg University in the Education Technology Program. I am also teaching second grade in the Mt. Lebanon School District. I love working with the children and enjoy it each and every day. On top of teaching and going to school one day a week, I coach the middle school basketball team at Mt. Lebanon and also tutor after school. When I am not working, I enjoy being with my friends and family and just relaxing! :)