E-pals is Awesome!

This week I reading the book Integrating Technology and Digital Media in the Classroom by Shelly, Gunter and Gunter; it discussed the use of teachers using e-pals (e-mail program for students/teachers to use) in their classroom. I use to do this! I use to teach 7^th grade (5 years ago) the curriculum was European Culture. My students had wonderful conversations with students from Germany and Spain. I never would have thought to mention that I was using technology in my class 5 years ago but I was and it is amazing. The students were able to discuss what the difference and similarity in student’s lives. They came into my class excited to see what their peers in Germany would think about a topic (example: movies, video games) we were talking about. I just looked at it as bringing the history and curriculum alive. 

 

Kevin thanks for the top 10 article!

Really enjoyed reading the article sent out by Kevin. It is on the NYT web site. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/technology/personaltech/30basics.html?_r=2

I had a really good friend who had someone break in and stole her computer and ipod. All her children’s baby pictures were on there! People should really back up their files, somewhere. It might not just be that cup of coffee spilt on the lap top. I am going to look into Dropbox.com as well what a great idea!

My Scavenger hunt for George!

Intrigued by the list of educational web sites found in my Integrating Technology textbook, I thought I would look for some lessons on early presidents of the U.S.A. The search was important because I need to practice using educational web sites to help with my teaching the Digital Native students, (still trying to speak their language) and this is the topic I will be dicussing next week.

 

The first web site I visited was bensguide.gpo.gov. This web site caught my attention because it is dedicated to teaching about how that US government works. The information was very current and had plenty of lessons but felt that some of the graphics would turn off my 8^th grade students. They want to feel like they are ready for the “real” world and I am not sure this web site had the artistic appeal for the students.

 

I traveled on and searched www.google.com/educators. I was excited by all the lessons that were on the site for teachers. These lessons seem to be set up for the Digital Natives to complete projects in their language. Then in opening some of them they also seemed very elementary based, but I can always add little piazzas and make it my own.

 

I was slightly upset when I went to awesomelibrary.org and it had nothing for the topic that I was looking for. I moved on to www.education-world.com. This web site then had a link to the Smithsonian quiz. I was able to take U.S. American history quizzes and if you did not know the answer it gave you a link to look up the answer in the Smithsonian records. Wow what a find, this will truly help teach my students how to research and continue reading non fiction works.

 

I hope everyone had as much fun searching on some of these educational web sites as I did.

Missing Puzzle Piece

The key word to me this week is integration. We are always trying to have students understand the benchmarks by using different techniques such as problem solving and role-playing. What if the problems just became simulation games, I loved Oregon Trail! What if students were able to use publisher to make brochures for a project in class.  What if I could find new ways to integrate my students, digital knowledge into the content they are learning? The world is a flat puzzle, what piece do I fit in, or my students? 

 

Creating Tomorrow’s Outliers

In a book I read over the summer, called Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell stated that a person needs 10,000 hours to be an expert in an area.  Most teachers do not have 10,000 hours in digital media. Teachers need more training to become proficient in this new language. The students are practicing their digital media everyday. Most teachers are comfortable with the typical teaching practices and are nervous of putting themselves out there. (We all have some bad memories of our first days teaching, do we really want to go back to that lost feeling.) The reason most of us became a teacher it to reach the students, so lets start learning their language.

 

Test

First try did not work...How about 2nd

Wow My first Blog and First Grad Class!

Hello,
1) Thank you for taking the time to read about me. A few years ago I went to a workshop and explained how a school was using Digital Book talk in gifted classes. I thought WOW this is cool. I don't know how but I want my students to do this.
I now try to have my students read 1 historical fiction a nine weeks and turn it into a movie or photo story. I have been doing a lot of trial by error but I am always willing to learn a better way. I also have a website for students to obtain notes they missed in class and started a blog.
2) I just got the I-phone and I am still learning how to use it. I really enjoy being able to look up menu's because of my husband's wheat problem. I also enjoy creating photo books on shutterfly. 
3) You may call me Rachel. If you want to be more formal Rachel Peterson.
4) Something a little unusual about me is that I have visited all 50 states and 11 countries. My family is from North Dakota and I spent every summer growing up with my grandparents there.