Day 28

Why didn't anyone tell me all this stuff was out there for me to use? I feel like I have been living in a cave these last 6 years. Now, if I can only confront my fear and figure out how to use my little flip camera to videotape my classes and post them on my website. . .

Day 21

I read today's blog on Dr. Z reflects and could have stood on my chair and applauded. As teachers we need to let go of our notions that the only way a child can read is through a basal textbook or paper novel. Our students want their reading to come at them in a variety of ways and they want the flexibility to read it in whatever format they have . . . Kindle, Iphone, whatever. I think we need to change with our students instead of demanding that they do things the way WE DID it.

Day 14

I am trying to figure out how many ways I can fit different media into my project for Dr. Copeland....I have to create a flipchart for Promethean Board that presents all of the different genres of books I have in my class library (I have over 1,000), I want to use clips of people reading selections from some books (clips from Teacher Tube has many of them), I want to create some flipcharts that have movable sections to reveal different elements of the different books, I want to download interviews with authers, and somehow make it interactive. I have lots to do! Me and Atomic Learning are going to be intimate before this project is done!

Day 13

Today I learned about Odiago (spelling), and will have to investigate further to see how to work it with my Promethean Board. I teach several sections of reading and have to read the same selection out loud each hour. It would be nice to do it once, post it, and then replay it each successive hour. It would also enable me to monitor students' attention better as I could walk around the room while they are listening and check for comprehension cues, see if they are writing down notes, and attentive. I could be my own second set of eyes.

Day 9

I looked at so many things yesterday and today, my mind is in a blur. I would like to use multiple forms of communication with my students and give them the opportunity to experiment with technology, but that requires me moving beyond the "I know what it is" stage and into the "I know how to manipulate it" stage. I finally have my user name and password for Atomic learning, and I am going to be getting on there and trying to get a more secure handle on the more sophisticated functions of the active boards, create a blog for my classroom (I got that cleared through the district office), google docs, and Animoto. We do a multi-genre research paper as an end of the quarter project, and I think we could really use technology to engage our students on levels that we have never seen before.

Day 8, per Dr. Z

Okay, yeah, I am all over your blog. Normally, I try to be systematic in my approach, but when I try to back up screens and try to be linear, by computer keeps freezing up. So, I decided to just start reading what looked good to me from the posts listed on the top right of your blog. So, today, I read about Animoto (2/24/09), ZOHO (another world I did not know even existed), and google.docs. I am most exited about google.docs as our school is moving to more project oriented, team based semester culminating assignments. I think we are supposed to have a computer lab in each of our acadamies, so I should have more access to technology. Currently, we have one computer lab for the WHOLE SCHOOL. Not a very effective system.

Day 7, per Dr. Z

I have read and learned so much this last week. I am frustrated that I did not learn about all of these possible classroom options before. I am most excited that the fine state of Iowa has licensed Atomic Learning and I have access to all of their informational videos. I am going to put together a monster of a project for my Young Adult Literature Class and bring in much of the new technology I have been learning. I am also going to check in with the district offices and find out if I can set up a blog for my students to respond to class activities and get resources. My classroom is going to be so different than it was last year.

Day 5, per Dr. Z

I loved the Golden Circle. I would like to hijack that and use it for our staff meetings. Maybe if my colleagues stepped back and examined why they are in education, especially in an urban high school, they could come at it with a better attitude. It would be more about the kids and less about how much their jobs were infringing on their lives!

Day 4, per Dr. Z

Today I read the entry on Blog and Wikis. I loved the videos on them. I also found out that my district pays for Atomic Learning! Who is going to be the Blog and Promethean Board Diva when we go back to school? Yeah, that's right, MAGGIE.

Day 3, per Dr. Z

I am all the way up to May 8th! Today's reading on Inquiry based education was of particular interest as it addressed the tightrope I walk daily. How do I teach my students both the magic of self-discovery and allow them to learn with a passion that is born of their own desires to understand, and teach them how to effectively take state tests? I understand the need for objective assessments to discern which schools are producing the best graduates and making sure that all students have the same opportunity for academic success; I get that. I am just not sure our ITED format is the best medium to convey that. My own children have always scored between 94-99% since they started taking the tests in the 2nd grade. However, I scored in the 50-55% range every time. According to that, I am an idiot. Now, I am no dummy. I graduated from high school with a 3.6 and have a 3.84 as a grad student. So, what is the test assessing?

Day Two, per Dr. Z

I started reading Dr. Z reflects yesterday. Then, I read my note that said for me to start at the bottom. I am not sure how far back to go, so I went as far back at October 12, 2009. If I get through all the posts and all the stuff I am learning, I will go back further. For now, I am trying to figure out exactly when I am going to sleep! So far, I have learned about Skyping (10/12), Royalty Free Music (10/12), Life after Death Powerpoint (11/17)--I AM SO GOING TO USE THIS in my class!!!!, The APA Blog (12/7), and Rube Goldberg (3/29). I am so delighted with all of this new information and can visualize how I can use this with my students this fall. I have to finish my research paper and do an independent project yet in July, and now, I am discovering all of this technology that I want to understand and manipulate for my classes at East! I am going to be living in my office at Schindler.--and I am still only as far as March.

Blogging possibilities

I am now wondering if I shouldn't create a blog for my classes and limit access to my students. Watching the informational videos, it seems rather easy to post my videos of classes as well as materials used for classes. I am thinking I am going to have to meet with Dr. Z and figure this all out.

Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense | Video on TED.com

Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense | Video on TED.c

This hurts my head and makes me feel like I am in an episode of Star Trek.

Day one, per Dr. Z

Well, okay, setting up a blog was not as painful as I thought. As near as I can tell, none of the options I chose shot off an atomic bomb in Russia, so I think all is good. Now, I am off to go read how to create my own Podcast. Hopefully, my brain won't explode and they will have written the instructions in stupid people technological terms and I won't want to cry because I feel so old and disconnected from all of THIS stuff. I will not be outwitted by in inanimate object, I will not be outwitted by an inanimate object. This is my mantra for the summer.