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.