Implications and Teaching Opportunities for Camera Use in Teaching and Learning

Photo by:EDUDEMIC


Part A
The data from the study by Zogby Analytics was not very shocking to me. In our society, having a smartphone is almost as important as carrying around a wallet. I think that especially people aged 18-24 are so embedded with texting and social media of course they are going to have their phone with them constantly. I too seem to always have my phone close at my side. In the data, it also shows that 91% of people have a camera on their smartphone. I personally tend to use my camera on my iPhone for just about anything. The quality of the camera is so clear that it is just easier to have a phone and camera in one. Honestly, smartphones are so useful in everything they do. Whether you want to search the web, make a phone call, send a text, email, or take a picture. I think that the statistics from this study go to show how the smartphone has impacted our every day living and how much we use them.
People may have different implications for education, school, teachers, and learners when it comes to smartphones. I think that technology such as smartphones and iPads can be extremely beneficial to education. In the classroom the tools on a smartphone can be used to help students search the web for anything they are learning about. Now a days, there is an app for anything. On our smartphones, students can use educational apps to enhance their learning through project-based learning. Also, using a camera/recorded on a smartphone is a great tool to use for students and teachers. Some people may think that using phones in the classroom is not acceptable, but in our day in age there is no getting away from technology so why not embrace it.

Part B
I think that the possibilities are endless when it comes to using technology in the classroom. Smartphones and tablets are so beneficial to the students learning because they provide so many Educational programs. For instance, a really great way for students to use the iPad is by making Board Builders projects for their different topics they are learning in the classroom. I think that Board Builders are a great way for students to personalize and create their own project and make it come to life. Also, using the video camera on a smartphone or tablet is a great way for students to make videos pertaining to their lessons or topic they are learning about. Students really enjoy making projects with this technology and they will be more engaged when they are busy collaborating hands-on. According to ALEX: Mathematics, a requirement under 2nd grade Math is to "Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces." This ACCRS standard could be met by using the Math app called Geometry 4 Kids. This is a tool that can be downloaded on any smartphone or iPad. Another example from ALEX is from Science, it states that students "Describe components of the universe and their relationships to each other, including stars, planets and their moons, solar systems, and galaxies." An app that can be downloaded on the iPad to go along with this curriculum is called Plantes. This app provides information on astronomy and a fun way for students to learn more about astronomy aside from their textbook. These are just a few of the many great apps that can be connected to the curriculum for in the classroom setting. Overall, I greatly believe in using technology in the classroom because of the many educational sources that can be found and used to enhance students learning. Some people may be against having "distractions" in the classroom, but to me these are tools that can provide 21st Century Teaching into the classroom.

Project 9: Video Book Conversation

Group 3:
Our group was assigned Topic 8: In Teaching Digital Natives, Marc Prensky asks "How should we connect technology to the curriculum?" ... "How could we teach for the future?" Below is a podcast of our conversation as a group and our thoughts about answering his questions.

Blog Post 8

What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

Photo by: Los Angeles Times

I really enjoyed watching the video of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. He is a very encouraging and uplifting person and I really applaud him for all he achieved in his lifetime. This lecture is very encouraging and two things Randy says that stuck out to me is "inspiration and permission to dream are huge." We should all remember that!
In the beginning of the video, Randy talks a lot about when he played football when he was younger and he says it's all about the fundamentals. If you get the fundamentals down, then it makes for success. I really think this relates to learning because when you are learning anything at all you must know the basic fundamentals in order to gain more knowledge about that certain topic.
Randy also references "Captain Kirk" and he points out that his role was all about leadership. I think this is something that we as teacher's need to remember because as educators we are in a sense "leading people" and our students being those people. Randy mentions about creating different scenarios using "Virtual Reality." I think this would be a fun technique and tool to use for teaching.
Randy says "Being an imagineer" is an important quality. His stories about when he was "Imagineering" and making his project Aladdin are very inspirational. Randy really shows how learning and working with something you are passionate about is the most rewarding thing.
Next, Building Virtual Words is a project of about 50 students. Randy discusses how educational it was and beneficial for the students. On the students first assignment using the Virtual Reality tools, Randy was blown away at all of the students projects. I think this says a lot about hands on tools and how learning is so much fun when you are working with tools that you find interesting. Learning should be this way and that is why Project-Based Learning is so beneficial for the students and the teachers. The entire Building Virtual Worlds project was a campus wide phenomenon and students were so involved and Randy talks about how he was so honored to teach that course. The course was all about bonding and working with your peers. As a future teacher, I know that I will want my students to learn in a way like this where they are all together excited to be learning and creating!
Furthermore, Randy shares about the program Entertainment Technology center (ETC) and in this program you get a two year professional degree of Masters of Entertainment Technology. As Randy puts it, this whole program is where students are in small teams "making stuff." The program is all about projects and not "book learning." Randy says that by now the students have had four years of "book learning" and now they focus on projects and "making stuff." I think this is a great way for the students to actually work and build to create. Project-based learning is THE best way to learn in a fun hands-on way that you enjoy and want to keep working to create. Randy also stresses working in groups. Groups are a great way for students to work together to create their best work while collaborating with each other.
In my opinion, Randy is so passionate about the "Alice" project and he says, "The best way to teach is to have them think they are learning something else." When kids are using computer programs they think they are just making movies, but really they are learning something hard about programing. In this instance, Randy also says, "the best thing is when kids are having fun while learning something that is really hard."

Overall, Randy's Last Lecture was very encouraging and I really learned so much about learning and teaching. He teaches in a Project-Based Learning atmosphere with the students he had and I think that was rewarding in every aspect. When the students are collaborating and creating projects they are constantly engaged and love what they are doing. Also, in a course like Virtual Reality, Randy shows how it is important to teach in a way that is NOT surrounded by textbooks. On the other hand, everything is surrounded by technology and the tools needed to create those projects. I really enjoyed this video and I am so glad I was introduced to Randy Pausch and everything he had to offer in his last lecture.

C4T #2 Summary

Photo by: Math Game Time

Post #1: 9/24/14
On this post, I commented on David Wees's Blog. His blog post consisted of a chart titled "20 things every teacher should do" and a few short paragraphs at the end explaining that this list of things should not act as a checklist for teachers, but a starting point for beginning teachers to consider when preparing for the school year.
In my comment, I introduced myself and explained that I was assigned to his blog for my teacher's comment this week. I continued to tell Mr. Wees that I thought this chart would really help me as I begin my journey as an educator. I also told Mr. Wees that my favorite point from this chart was to "Learn something new every day." I think that it is so important for us, as teachers, to remember that because we are not just teaching but also learning as well. I also complimented Mr. Wees on his blog and how organized and well written it is. I closed my comment by saying that I will look forward to reading more of his blog posts, and that I was excited to learn something new from them. Lastly, I invited him to look at My Blog and also our EDM 310 Class Blog.

Post #2: 10/10/14
On this post, I commented on David Wees's Blog. His blog post is titled "Self-directed Workshops" and consists of a paragraph explaining that he created two Google slide presentations to be used as self-directed workshops for Math Education. Mr. Wees explains that he created these presentations for a workshop he is facilitating this weekend in San Francisco. Also, the two presentations are provided on this blog post for public use. One is titled "Programming in Math Class" and the other is titled "Free Tools for Math Education." I viewed the presentations, and they were very interesting to me because I wasn't very familiar with the information he was teaching on the slides.
In my comment, I introduced myself and explained how I was assigned to comment on his blog for a second time. I continued by complimenting Mr. Wees on his blog post and told him that I enjoyed learning something new about programming and different math tools. I told Mr. Wees that I thought the presentations that he made would be very helpful to teachers and other individuals who want to learn more about Math Education. I also complimented him by saying how informative his posts are and how I was glad I was introduced to his blog because I was able to learn something new. In closing, I told Mr. Wees to feel free to visit My Blog and also the EDM 310 Class Blog.

Project #13- Project Based Learning Plan #1

Group 3 TT11

We have decided to create our Project Based Learning lesson on "The Four Seasons." In our lesson, students are researching, in their collaborative groups, their assigned season by using the provided iPads. Then, students will construct the project discussed below.

"The Four Seasons" Lesson Plan
Project Calendar
Project Rubric

Photo by: Kindertown

Project #7 Part B: Classroom Videos

Parents of My Classroom video...





Students of My Classroom video...

Blog Post 7

How do we all become learners?

My strengths and weaknesses:
In my opinion, one of my strengths is being familiar with Apple products. In classrooms today, there is a lot of use with iPads, MacBooks, and Educational Apps. I am usually a quick learner with new things that Apple comes out with. I think that my knowledge of Apple products will really be handy in my future classroom because I will be using these technology tools to benefit the learning of my students. Of course they will be using them too, probably even more than me!
On the other hand, my weaknesses may be keeping a collection of activities to be done in a Project-Based Learning atmosphere. Before I graduate, that is one thing that I need to work on. I need to start collecting activities and lessons for my future use. Also, another weakness I may have is not using my PLN as often as I should. Once I become more familiar with it, I know it will be very beneficial to my future as an educator.

In the video, How to make an audio QR code, I learned the steps on how to thoroughly makes an audio QR code. Michelle Bennet explains how to start making the code you go to the website Record Mp3. From this website, you record your voice for all types of things such as, reading a book for your students to listen to. Press start, do not start talking until the number rolls over the number 1. Then, when you have recorded what you want, press stop. You can now play back the audio message that you recorded. After recording, a URL code will display and now I can copy this URL code. Next, go to the website QR Code Monkey which generates the audio code. Enter your URL code that you copied, click create and there is the QR code. Next, I can copy and paste it into word. I then print it out for my students or parents. Also, you can purchase a QR code scanner that is needed to scan the code for actually listening back to the code.

In the video, iPad Reading Center, I learned how to use the iPad for a tool for reading and recording in a center for Kindergarten. This is a way for students to video themselves reading and then go back and listen to themselves read so they can follow along again in the book to see if they made an errors. This is a great way for students to become aware of their reading errors, so they can further correct themselves. I have never seen this method for a reading center, but I think this is a great way to use the iPad as a learning tool. It is also FUN for the kids!

Photo By: Steamboat Today

In the video, Poplet with Ginger Tuck by Michelle Bennet, I learned how the teacher uses the "Poplet" free app to make a "Poplet" center. This is the process of creating a web around the poplet based on a career book. The Kindergarteners use a book as the source of their information. The students use the words and pictures to make the poplet. Once the Poplet is done it looks like a web that helps them see all the important information from the book. This is a great tool for the students to really explore their book more and it's also a way for them to learn the certain "Topic" of the book. For instance, in this video, Mrs. Bennet's kindergartener used a veterinarian book so now the student can keep this web to read over. Before this video I had never heard of "Poplet" and now I am glad I have learned about how and why to use them.

In the video, AVL and Kindergarten Students by Michelle Bennet, I learned that there is a AVL app that students can use in the classroom. On the AVL website, the students types in the word they want to search and then results come up. When the word is entered, a picture, an introduction of the word, and a listening portion too. This is a great way for students to visual and read about the objects. For instance, in this Kindergarten class they are researching transportation. The child enters a word, such as bicycle. From here, they can view the information about that object and create their own picture from it. This is a great hands-on activity for learning more about certain objects and more.

In the video, Tammy Shirley Discovery Education Board Builder Moon Project, I learned how to create a board on Discovery Education. The students will log in on the website and go to Board Builder. On this site, they can personalize their own board. The students type in all of their project information by using the keyboard. Images and videos can also be added to a Board Builder. This is a great tool for students to really become engaged with their projects because they enter the information and create it themselves. After students create their project board, they can write a narrative story about their project. This process of using Discovery Education to access Board Builder lets the students be as creative as they can while learning about their topics.

In the video, Mrs. Tassin 2nd Grade Students Share Board Builder Projects, I learned about two of Mrs. Tassin's 2nd grade students who are in the process of creating e a Board Builder Project about "Whales." The students were able to be creative with their board, while learning something new about whales after they took a virtual field trip to Glacier National Park in Alaska.

In the video, Mrs. Tassin's Students Share Board Builder Project, I learned about a group of Gulf Shores Elemntarty students who are using Board Builder. This groups makes a project about "Loose Change for the Haven" to help animals in need. This is a great example of a PBL project where the students collect information and pictures about their topics.

In the video, Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten by Dr. Strange, I learned information about iMovie and AVL from Elizabeth Davis and Michelle Bennett. Mrs. Bennett explains how Kindergarteners use iMovie to make book trailers. She exclaims how amazing it is that young children 5 and 6 years old are so capable of using these technology sources. Mrs. Davis discusses how Kindergarteners use AVL to research different topics, such as animals, on a regular basis! This is exciting because the students are so young, but yet they are engaging in technology and learning!

Photo by: Kite Readers

In the video, We All Become Learners, Dr. Strange, Elizabeth Davis, and Michelle Bennett have a conversation about learning. Mrs. Bennett points out that when students use "devices" it comes down to teachers teaching students, students teaching students, and students teaching teachers. The dynamic of this is that everyone becomes a learner and everyone becomes a teacher. I think that this is a great concept. Mrs. Bennett also talks about how the tool "Padlet" is very useful for anything! The Kindergarteners are even teaching Mrs. Bennett new things about Padlet. A statement that Mrs. Bennett said that really stood out to me is "We all become learners in each other's personal network." This is so true! Nowadays, it is so true in the fact that the students teach the teachers something new with technology and the programs they are working with.