Lincoln Elementary School

For a college school field trip, we visited Lincoln Elementary School in Cedar Falls, Iowa to observe a class using Google Sketchups and another class using their Interative Whiteboard.  I will focus on the Google Sketchups for this post, since my next covers the whiteboards in more detail.  When obvserving a 5th grade class in the computer lab, students were given an assignment earlier in the year to design some type of building they could live in on another outer space planet.  By giving them a fun, open topic, students can become engaged by taking it whichever way they want.  Students skills in using Google SketchUp were all more advanced than mine since I had never seen it before that day.  The teacher was a proactive teacher in the sense that he learned how to use Google Sketchup from one of his friends who was an engineer so he could better teach his students and meet their needs.  I think it's extremely important teachers are as familar about a topic as they can be so they can provide students with as much knowledge to master the skills they are learning as well.  It's just as important to be honest when you don't know something as a teacher which provides opportunities to learn alongside your students.  This can be extremely valueable and demonstrates how learning is a life-long process that never truely ends and there's always more to know! When my teacher asked students to raise their hand if they worked on this project at home with their own time, almost every students raised their hand which I thought was great!  That showed students were truly interested in it and wanted to do a quality job with it.  There's many outlets to use Google Sketchups, this math project using dimensions just being one of the many options!  Students can also use these skills learned for future school projects and possibly for their future careers.

Photograph taken by Katrina Bauer - All students working on their projects using Google SketchUp in the computer lab.

Photograph taken by Katrina Bauer - Individual Student working on his project using Google SketchUp.

Here is a 7 minute tutorial video on YouTube about how to get started with Google SketchUp!

Collaborative Tools

Collaborative Tools I am now aware of thanks to this class are Google Docs, Wikispaces, Twitter, Skype, Jing, Google Sketchup, Interactive White Boards such as a Mimio, Edmodo, Mindmeister, Prezi, Facebook, Artsonia, YouTube, and Blogs through websites such at blogger.com.  I have used several of these resources in other classes of mine, just this year and plan on using them in my next school years to come and later on in my classroom.  One tool I found interesting and a neat idea was Edmodo.  Another group used this is their final PBL project and I think it would come in very useful in keeping communication strong and reliable with parents and students.  It is very similar as Facebook's set up by having a place for a picture, statuses, upcoming events, and photos.  I think this would be a perfect way to share photos of the students and projects they do with parents online, would be a great way to alert parents of upcoming assignments and events, along with a communication tool if the parents or students have any questions, concerns, or comments.  Parents can see grades their child recieves and what they did well or need to improve on.  Also it could come in handy if the teacher needed parents to sign a permission slip, they could post it or attach it to the page and have parents print it off and send it with their child the next day.
With anything new that implements change, there always is some sort of resistance or problems that tag along with it.  Some parents may not have convenient access to internet or a computer, some may forget to check updates on the website, and some may not like their students being online.  It is still crucial to keep the website updated and vital to include face-to-face meetings with parents.  If things take off and parents and students are very receptive to Edmodo, it may become too technology based and lose the personal interactions that should take place between parents and teachers.  I also feel using Edmodo would be beneficial because it exercises students computer and typing skills that will be necessary in almost every job they will encounter during their lifetime.

Since I had never heard of it but find it valuable to keep communication between the teacher, parents and students strong, here is where you can find and sign up for Edmodo!

This is an example of how Edmodo can be used in the classroom with students and parents.

Here is the URL where I found this image from Google.

Introductory Preso Experience

For my introductrion presentation, my partner Emily Keitel and I created a presentation using Prezi.  I loved learning how to use Prezi and found it more intriguing than a typical powerpoint presentation I've always used in the past.  It gave different path options and presented the information we chose to share in different formats while still being easy to read and interesting.  I feel as though Prezi gives you as the creator many more ways to portray your information through changing font sizes, using more or less zoom, by turning your words on a angle, or framing certain photographs or words you want to stand out from the rest.  Emily and I easily put pictures and facts of information about our lives we thought would be relevant and something the class might like to know.  I liked using Prezi a lot and found it so easy, that I actually used it in another class later on in the year about an article I had to read and reflect on.  I was the only one who presented my reflection and information through using Prezi as a medium, which my teacher loved!

Screenshot Capture by Katrina Bauer - "Emily and Katrina's Intro Prezi"

Screenshot Capture by Katrina Bauer - "Journal Article Presentation"

To create your very own Prezi, go to http://www.prezi.com/ to get started!

Amazon Kindle

I thought the Kindle by Amazon was something worthy of learning about because of the way books are now viewed today.  Books can be instantly downloaded on a device called a "Kindle" with a 10 hour battery life.  Though it doesn't come too cheap, normally running for the price of $359.  I think kindles are a great form of technology that are helpful for students that just make sense.  Rather than having numerous, heavy, expensive, tree killing books; books can now be protected in a slim, lightweight device where they won't get lost or water damaged from the rain.  No more aching backs and strain on the eyes, with this advanced screen.  You won't run out of space on your shelves since all the books are stored right on the Kindle and not only can you read books, but have access to magazines and newspapers as well.  This website on Amazon has 500,550 books to choose from for purchase, some even being free! It's easy to use and can read the words back to you through it's speakers, which can be very helpful for everyone, especially for those with trouble seeing.  I have seen one of these Kindles personally, since my friend recieved one as a gift and she has nice things to say about it.  Now of course this technology will never replace books altogether, which isn't the point of this invention by any means, but will benefit avid readers, with easy access to any book possible on the spot and can travel whereever they reader desires to read.

I felt this video gave a good summary of what abilities the Amazon Kindle can perform and what it has to offer.

Photo taken with permission from http://www.flickr.com/ through Creative Commons

Username: libraryman - http://www.flickr.com/photos/libraryman/2048264201/

Video taken from http://www.youtube.com/

Username: TechnologyGuide - http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=3cktgAwu3AE&feature=related

Second Life with Autism

"Autism Awareness Cause Ribbon of Colorful Puzzle Pieces with a Cherub Angel Figurine Statue of a Child"

With 1 in 58 children being austistic in the UK, giving birth to a child with autism is more common than oftenly thought.  Groups of people with autism are able to connect on the internet and express views in ways they couldn't ever before.  People with autism are challenging the once thought belief that they have to speak "normal" language in order to communicate, when they all communicate already, but just differently in a way we may not understand.  In the virutal online universe Second Life, people with autism can create their people to have ticks that match ones they physcially have as well.  Internet is giving power and control to people with autism and has given them a sense of freedom, saying autism is a way of life, not a disease.  This does however, not ensure help to people who suffer from austism, due to the fact that they would be categorized as having a different way of functioning, not needing funding or assistance.  In the video embedded below, it shows an autistic woman using a form of technology where she can enter in words and have them read out loud.  She also posted a video on YouTube expressing her opinions on autism and it's not wrong, it's simply a different form of communication and behavior, which recieved many views.  This shows other ways technology can impact and benefit people with autism, and people learning about autism, as well.

Photo taken with permission from www.flickr.com

Username: Beverly & Pack - http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkadog/3446100697/

Video taken from www.youtube.com

Username: kumquatkowboy - Second Life with Autism

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

      Though there are many challenges to face when thinking about pulling off a "one laptop per child" operation, there are so many benefits to the outcomes and success students would have around the world, everyone would reap the hard work it would take.  This website talks about the organization and its vision it has for giving each student their very own laptop.  If students, especially in the worst poverty areas, were suddenly provided with a laptop, they would be open to so much new information and possibilities to expand their minds about the world that they would never have a chance to learn before.  Children would not only learn more efficiently with a greater number of resources, but the students would then taken their laptops home, where knowledge would spread like wildfire with parents, grandparents, other family members, and friends would be able to benefit from the laptop as well.  Violence would decrease along with poverty, as communities become more educated as a whole, and are given chances to excell through this new light shining at the end of the tunnel.  School attendence would increase with students wanting to come with their laptops in hand, and learn more about the knowledge found online.  Not only are they a great resource for material and information, but they make learning fun and engaging for the children.  Though there countless benefits from these small green machines, there are always going to be some disadvantages, such as unavoidable problems with techonology, not having enough laptops for children, or the theft of laptops by the less fortunate who did not recieve one.  Some may also frown upon spreading the use of technology to the poverty, stating that we should be focusing on other materials they need, or necessities such as food and clean water.  As Nicholas Negroponte stated in his interview on YouTube discussing this issue he stated that if you substitued the word laptop with the word education, no one would object to this organization, because when it comes down to it, these laptops provide children with an education they never would have had access to ever before.  With these laptops, many doors will be opened to numerous children and families that would have never been opened before. 

        I picked this first video because I found it interesting to meet the people that created this little green machine and brough into exsistence.  It's neat to see their visions for it and why they worked and are still working on it so hard even today, as well as all the odds they beat and doubts they overcame.

        The second video shows how big of an impact the laptops are having in poverty stricken countries and shows the magnitude and potential the access to these newly invented computers can create.

Photos taken with permission from http://www.flickr.com/ through Creative Commons

Username: laihiu - http://www.flickr.com/photos/laihiu/4045141021/

Username: judy_breck - http://www.flickr.com/photos/goldenswamp/2089691228/

Videos taken from www.youtube.com

Username: simplecoat - Inside One Laptop per Child: Episode one

Username: worldfocusonline - Rwanda aims for one laptop per child

Apple iPad

I simply think the Apple iPad is amazing. I can't believe technology has come this far and will continue to advance and grow throughout the years. It's mind blowing to see what people will invent next. This website shares it's capabilites and what all it can do. I feel as though this piece of amazing technology can be of great benefit to teachers and students when they are of age to learn how to properly use it. At the price of $499 an iPad, it is a reasonable price for the advanced technology it provides, and can connect thousands with faster communications and applications at the touch of a screen. I would love a chance to use an iPad and see how it works so simply first hand. It would be interesting to see how my day to day life would change having the internet so close and so handy. I wonder how much updated I would be on the news and weather with information waiting for me at the touch of a screen. Although I do question the hidden costs and how much they would be if something technologically went wrong, since no form of technology is invincible from all viruses and common errors. Regardless of my lack of deep knowledge about this product, I would still love being able to play around with it, witnessing first hand all of its capabilities.  The video below gives a good insight on what the iPad can do and what makes it one of the most advanced pieces of technology today.

Photo used by permission from http://www.flickr.com/ through Creative Commons

Username: d!zzy - http://www.flickr.com/photos/xissey/4309421719/

Video taken from http://www.youtube.com/

Username: tysiphonehelp - iPad - The best way to experience the web, email, photos