Scenario:

Some of my strengths as an educator are that I am flexible, patient, and knowledgeable of the material I am teaching. I am also very persistent, I am fully aware that we have to fight for what we believe in but we need to be open-minded. However, I find that my strongest strength is my experiences. I understand that no experience in life is the same but I do believe that in order to connect and build a relationship with our students, we need to tap into our past experience. A weakness that I have and need to work on is that at times I become close-minded. I know that this is a weakness because we are not always right and we don’t know it all. As teacher and human beings we keep learning throughout our lives, it is something that never stops occurring and if we are too close-minded we will miss out on very important information or insights.

I see myself in three to five years working in an Elementary School where I am needed. I see myself teaching a very diverse classroom and maintaining a comfortable and welcoming environment for all my students. I also see myself back in school to get my masters in counseling or special education and possibly my doctorate in administration. Most of all I see myself starting a family with my husband. I do not know where I would be living at the time since my husband is military, but I do see myself as a happy and effective teacher wherever I am residing. However, all of this can change in a matter of second because we never know what life is going to throw at us.

When learning new strategies, I first have to know about the research that has been done on it. After I do this I go back and think how this strategy will benefit my students and if it can be altered to fit the needs of all my students as individuals. I do the same when it comes to learning about new software. I have to know about the research that has been done on the software and how it fits the needs of my students. I also need to know how useful the software is and if my students can use it problem free. I need to become knowledgeable of the software before I can think of using it as an Assistive Technology.
Technology can dramatically change the way students learn and their academic success. Students with special needs are greatly impacted with the use of Assistive Technology in the classroom. With technology students who are hearing and visually impaired have a better chance on being successful outside the special education classrooms. Technology gives teachers an opportunity to have a full inclusive classroom. Also, technology engages the students in learning and captures their attention, especially since they are growing in a very technological world.

In my education, technology has made me a resource and has linked me to different resources. Technology is a very important part in my life. It has allowed me to do research more efficiently and become more knowledgeable on different subjects. I am also able to communicate with family as well as teachers thanks to technology. Most importantly it helped my reading comprehension by using audio book don the Internet. It permits me to multi-task using one screen and many pages at a time. Technology has its ups and downs but it has definitely helped my education just like it will help on the education of my future students.

I would encourage the faculty to use different types of technologies in their classroom and practice by sharing with them my experiences and their outcomes. I could also demonstrate how easy they are to use and how efficient they are. I can share with them testimonies of how my students have benefited and succeeded by using different technologies in the classroom.

So far I have used Prezi, Animoto, Google Maps, Tagxedo, Wordle, Voki, Voicethreat, and Glogster in my practice. I have used these resources to provide my students with a more differentiated instruction. I have also mainly used them to introduce a topic or an activity that we were going to do in class. I have become very efficient using this resources and I wouldn’t have any problems instructing my students or other faculty on how to use it.

Here are some things I have done with Prezi, Animoto, Google Maps, Tagxedo, Wordle, Voki, Voice Threat, and Glogster:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

View narration map in a larger map

My WOW Moment:

My AHA! Moment this semester was when I switched from Google Sties to Weebly. This was my WOW moment because at that moment I truly understood how important it is to try new things and how some of them might be so much simpler than others. It was really cool to see how much faster it was for me to do all the work through Weebly and not Google Sties. My website ended up being something that I am actually proud of and something I would want the public to see. I also liked how we can storage our work in a website and it being so accessible. In addition, I liked being able to call my self a resource since I have lesson plans posted for people to see and get ideas from. I really liked feeling like confident making my website and I know that if I would of stocked with Google Sites I wouldn’t feel the same. That is why my AHA/ WOW moment was when I changed from Google Sties to Weebly.

This is a screenshot of my website thanks to Weebly:

Podcast Favorites:

Through the spring 2011 semester we had to watch a total of 12 podcast. At first I was very reluctant to watch such an amount of videos. However, I have been able to learn a great amount through the videos. I personally liked the episode called rural 21st Century Learning made by driving questions. In this episode the team talked to the Walton Rural Life Center about how they implement technology even though their focus is on farming. I liked this podcast the most because it allowed me to get a look into how technology is used under unusual circumstances. It would have never occurred to me that technology is used in farming. I also liked how the school actually took the students out to the farms and allowed them to experience it one on one. It was really cool to see how this team, driving questions, took random and unusual topics and explain how we can incorporate technology.

Driving questions took topics like smartphones, music, and new first year teachers and elaborate on how technology affects them. I found myself doing all of my podcast from them because of their efficiency on discussing how to implement technology and how to even use it. I found this team helpful because they also have podcast of new first year teachers or first time technology user discussing how they struggle and what resources they used to become more technologically savvy. I would definitely keep driving questions and keep listening to learn more about technology.

This is a screen shot of itunes with the driving questions podcast!

Semester favorites:

Throughout this semester we have been introduces to a great amount of resources and tools for our teaching career. However, I liked Animoto and Prezi the best. This is because I find those to sources the most useful in the classroom.

Not only were we required to know about these resources but we were asked to try them out and in some cases incorporate them into lessons. I have used both, Animoto and Prezi, in lessons plans that we made for our Core Teaching Lecture and Lab. I enjoyed using both of them in a great level. These two resources actually made me want to incorporate more technology in my classroom. One reason is because they are both engaging and not boring or monotone.
There were many resources and tools that I am still not sure why we have to know them or how to even incorporate them into a lesson, but that is not the case for Animoto and Prezi. I believe that these resources are extremely important to take under consideration, especially for new teacher who are not very teach savvy because it is so simple to use!


Here is an example of what I have done with Animoto:

Create your own video slideshow at
animoto.com.

Here is an example of what I have done with Prezi:

Google Maps?

In our DED 318 class we were shown how to use google maps and how people have used it as an educational tool. I was not very excited to hear that we were to do a map and relate it to a lesson. However after I gave google map a try I came to find out that I loved it. It is not hard to use and very useful resource. I made my lesson and map over chronological order, and I have to say I had fun doing it. Google has made the maps a resource that both the teachers and the students can use. If you would like to see my lesson plan or my map please visit my website at http://yashiracoles.weebly.com/ and feel free to contact me either thorough the form on the contact page or by leaving a comment on my blog.
Thanks for reading!

Challenge Based Learning Reflection

For our Challenge Based Learning Reflection my group did "seat-belts for safety." We used Prezi for the presentation and google docs to share the information. I really liked Prezi. It is something that I know for sure I will use in my future classroom! I know this because it is a very user friendly resource and even students can use it as a form of assessment. I have learned a lot from it and and really recommend the source. The link for Prezi is provided below:
http://prezi.com/
Hope you guys find it useful in your classroom!

Reflection: Classroom 2.0

I am not entire sure how I feel about the classroom 2.0 web-page. It was difficult for me to find my way around there is just so much in that page but the one thing that got my attention was the forum tab. I clicked on it and it took me to a kind of blog for teachers, in this blog they express their concerns and ask for advice from other fellow colleagues! I really liked this part of the web-page it was extremely informational and it was easy to cruise through. It was also easy to manage, posting a question was easy and convenient. It was like a counselor or advise column on the go! I really liked this part of the web-site. There is also a chat button in case you need advice ASAP or just want to build your network.

Comics in the classroom!

So, I just made a comic strip to show how i could use it for non-linguistic representations for ESL students. I made mine about a few room essentials. However, there are many ways you can use this resource in the classroom. For example, one way is to use it as an assessment method to see how much understanding the student has acquired. The students can represent their understanding in their own way by making a comic about it, this could also help the other students view the material in a different way which can lead to even better understanding. This is just one way we can use it in many ways, we just have to be creative!

Edu-teacer reflection:

I really like edu-teacher! This website is full of resources and best of all you can do a search by subject or you can even search for ESL or special ed. I did a ESL + special ed. + teacher resources and it gave me a tool called abc ya! ( http://abcya.com/). This tool also has a grade search engine, but I like the one about reading. It has guided reading and activities to train the brain to remember. It also contains educational games about geography and many more. So this website is an extremely great resource for the teacher to use as a visual for the students who are more of a visual learner. I did another seach by adding special education + teacher tools + elementary schools and it gave me the apple store for education (http://www.apple.com/education/resources/). I like this link because it gave me ideas of apps that I can download into my smartphone and use in the classroom. The last search I did was a music search and surprisingly I found a website called BrainPOP (http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/mainidea/) this is a fun website with lots of activities by subject. I has information and ideas for lessons and lots of resources. It is definatelly a must bookmark!

Kan-ed reflection:

As a future teacher I find the Kan-ed website really helpful, not only for me but for the students as well. In this website I found resources that I can use such as Pro-quest (http://proquest.umi.com/login/refurl), and some lesson plan websites that I can use for the development of my class. For students I found links such as online tutoring (http://lhh.tutor.com/default.aspx?ProgramGUID=d9a59c92-f331-440e-a34a-38b0c47eb4fb), and the "4 kids website" (http://www.4kids.org/) that the students can use to better their academics. I found the website because of how helpful it can be especially for new teacher who are looking for resources and ideas. This website even contains a grant writing link (http://search.grantwrangler.com/), that's how resourceful and reliable it is. I really will keep this website in mind and for sure use it!

Twitter reflection:

I have tried twitter for a semester now and I still do like it. Yes, there is a lot of information there and resources posted by teachers but it is not for me. Since I opened the account back in January I have posted about three times in there, I use my facebook more than twitter. It is just not for me. I gave it a try but I have made up my mind on which side i take when it comes to twitter. But who knows maybe in the future I will find it more helpful when I am in the classroom. But for now I will more than likely not use it.

Podcast reflection #12: Life Practice:

In this episode we have Ginger Lewman, the director of Turning Point Learning center in Emporia Kansas. In the episode they talked about making connections to their learners and bout many other things that make or shaper a 21st century education. Connections that they use are through technology. These projects are so that the students can step out of their own little world and join the entire would and see it and discover it as it really is. They enforce thinking of life beyond their surrounding and thinking of life and culture of the world. I like this because it gave me ideas of what I can use in the classroom and what I can do to link that material to the students more effectively.

Podcast reflection #11: No Flute? Play your iphone!:

For this episode of driving questions they are playing the ocarina, an app for the iPhone form Smule. While he was playing he was thinking what it would mean for children to have this musical tool anytime anywhere through the phone. He also explains how to get to the app and how to use it. He mentions that this music app can be played with multiple and just like a regular flute you would have to blow in it for sound to come out and the keys need to be pressed as well. So this app is like actually playing a flute. I wonder what this apps hold for the future music classes and how that would change the educational expenses since it can potentially replace actual instruments.

Podcast reflection #10: Geocaching in education:

In this episode of diving question Bentley Richert, Tammy Worchester, and Becky Herl share a recent geocaching lesson they recently did with kids in Burton schools in Burton Kansas. It is said that the preparation and design came from thinking about the students and the life cycle for science. They listened to what the students wanted to learn and a team came up with an activity/ lesson. This lesson is very technology based. They used GPS for a type of scavenger hunt for the students to have some discovery learning. This team recommends the use of GPS for kinesthetic students, it helps them link material together and remember it more affectively. I liked this podcast because the team used a common topic and made it fun by implementing technology and team work. I liked how creative the team was and how they though about the students, their interest and learning styles.

Podcast reflection #9: Rural 21st century learning!:

Walton 21st century rural life center is a public charter school on a mission to promote rural family farm value while developing 21st century skilled learners. The principal mentioned that the hands on approach work for their diverse learners and that is why they have managed to integrate farming into the curriculum. They also use technology and show the students how to use it in the farms by seeing how farmers use it today. This school and their strategies are well organized and its very student focused. I like how the material is focused on farming but can be used in real life.

Podcast reflection #8: Driving questions: Micro-wave cookbook

In this episode of diving questions they interviewed regional Arizona cooking celebrity Dee Dee Czarnowski. She has 24 years of experience when it comes to cooking with a microwave. She went to cooking classes at Sears to learn and later on became the teacher of the class. She teaches micro-cooking at an alternative school and at a juvenile detention center. At the juvenile detention center she teaches the students how to keep a budget and still be able to eat. I like this interview because she seems very passionate of what she does. She also appeared as very credible women and teaches the kids what she knows best keeping in mind their learning differences. For example, she uses DVDs and hands on activities for the students learning. Although I am still not sure what this interview had to do with education but I liked how dedicated she is and how she found a way to help students in her own way.

Podcast Reflection #7: Driving Question: Edu Blogger Can Discussion

In this episode of Driving Questions Sue Waters, Kim Cais, Scott McLeaod, Darren Drapper and others delve into the issue of leadership in school. The comment made by the panel that stuck to me the most was that leadership depends on the schools faculty, "we could have the most motivated teacher but if the principal is not on board than it might not go anywhere."He explained that this was because the principal is the one that controls the resources, if they are not on board with the teacher's idea than they might not be going anywhere. Social norms also discourage and at times pushes teacher to try and excel within the system. Appropriate support from the leaders is crucial.

Podcast Reflection #6: Driving Question: First Year Tech Integration

On these episode we they talked to Tamara Padfield, a tech integration specialist from Inman Kansas. She talks about the people and things that got her hooked with technology integration. She mentioned that one of the people that got her hooked to technology was Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, my current technology teacher at Kansas State University. She took the TRC grant that allowed her to have a better equipment in the classroom such as one-on-one laptops. this allowed her to "truly" integrate technology in the classroom. An advice she gave to new teacher is that its ok to start small but we cannot think we are the exerts now a days, especially with technology. She encourages teachers to take a leap of faith and find helping teachers that can help. Collaborate, don't just take.

Podcast Reflection #5: Driving Question: Relauch Episode

Smart phones have not yet been taken under consideration for a classroom tool for learning. Smart phones can work as a document machine, email, radio, CD player, its more than a phone. Smart phones can be used in school as a tool as long as schools would change policies to allow the use of personal devices on their network. Some apps that can be used in classrooms are graphing calculators (replacing the cost of a real one), kindle, gps, compass, geography fact book, music instruments. In addition, not only do musical instrument apps allow you to play them but it also teaches you how to play them. By using smart phones in school the cost of resources and education can potentially go down!

Podcast Reflection #4: Driving Question: Interview with Stacy Williams

Stacy Williams is an instrumental music instructor at Colby Middle School. She has branched out into teaching and facilitating technology driven classrooms. She began teaching technology when her school principle assigned her the 5th and 6th grade technology class. She believed she was was not efficient in technology but she decided to take on the task anyways. She was able to manage both of her classes, music and technology, at the same time. Her class is an art class through technology. She does not use material that is pre-programed, she comes up with the materials and activities herself. She does her best to come up with creative on her own. She does her best to come up with ideas to keep her students engaged and activities that the students can enjoy while learning.

Podcast Reflection #3: Driving Question: Kimberly Wright

Kimberly wright teaches science and technology to 60 fourth graders everyday. During her first year of teaching she was all about power points but soon enough she moved on to video conferences and pod-casting. When she began teaching she was not tech savvy but because she was at such a young age people though the contrary. When she got her first classroom she found a cart with many technology related materials such as cam recorders and cameras which she took advantage of. Later on she decided to attend conferences and see what other teachers where doing in their classroom. This way she build a network and learn how to use technology in her classroom. She also learned that to make both, the administration and the students, happy she needed to use technology which helped her bring up scores and keep her engaged. She is currently trying to expand her wings and help other teachers become familiar with technology. Technology has opened many doors that does not limit her classroom to what she knows but what the world knows.

Animoto in my classroom.

In our technology class we learned how to use Animoto. I like it! It was fun to make different videos, even if our options are limited it was still pretty fun! there is so much you can do with animoto for the classroom. You can have the students make their own yearbook, teachers can use it to introduce different materials. We can also use it for the students to introduce themselves to the class, or present their learning or understanding of the material to the class. The options are endless but we must be creative. In our class we had to make two videos one about ourselfs and the other about education. I used mine as an short introduction for my students, and the education Animoto was about effective teaching. Here are my two Animotos!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Fun with Text:

Wordle (http://www.wordle.net/) and Tagxedo (http://www.tagxedo.com/) are two web-pages in with you can have fun with words! In the website the students type in words into a box, the more words the more fun it is! For words to come out bigger than others the student must type the word more than once, the more the word is repeated the bigger the word. When the students are done typing their words the student hit summit button and their creation appears! It is simple to use and fun when its done.

Both wordle and tagxedo are good resources to use for many classroom activities. In these two websites students can work on their vocabulary by memorizing words while they type them. It can also be used as an activity for the beginning of the year for students to get to know each other. Teachers can use it to introduce new lessons for the class, and the vocabulary for it. There are many ways to use wordle and tagxedo, we just have to be creative and find new ideas every day.

These are examples of what can be done with wordle and tagxedo:

Technology Bits, Bytes & Nibbles

Throughout these two years in college all I’ve heard is technology is changing the way we teach today. I always refused to that idea but reading trough the articles on Mrs. Cyndi Danner-Kuhn’s blog I noticed that teachers today have moved away from the traditional worksheet activities and into a more technology based lessons. I have read great ideas for lessons using technology on this blog, but the two that have gotten my attention the most are: Kindergarten Digital Camera Scavenger Hunt: A Look Back, and Flip, Skype and iPad find everyday usage in Lisa Boeglin's class at Scott Elementary. These two stories have shown me how to be creative and use technology in my classroom. Kids from every age now days are tech savvies and by using technology in the classroom we keep their attention and interest in learning. I have found this blog to be a great resource and as a future teacher this blog offers me with new ideas and methods of teaching. I could definitely use this blog for my future lesson plans and class activities.

“Despite all of the technology, Boeglin said, she is still using activities of yesteryear — students read softcover books, practice their handwriting and keep journals, not the electronic version. But by integrating technology, students are more engaged, and it gives them an early exposure, Boeglin said.”

CDK's Education Technology Place

As a newbie with this technology business I can honestly say that I felt overwhelm by the website. I feel like there is so much in it that I am not sure where to start. I know it has some great resources in the website and very important information. I just felt confused on where to start. However I did like the “Resources Wiki technology tools & Resources.” I felt like it had a lot of great sources and information. And it was not too overwhelming. I loved the link about the “Creative Excuses Not to Use Technology.” I loved this link because I have used many of those excuses myself! I thought it was funny going over them and realizing how ignorant I sound when I use them. The website contains many great sources for information and it is something to keep in mind when creating and thinking of new ideas for the classroom.