My Personal Teaching Statement

My Personal Teaching Statement

Entering the teaching field, I realize that I will be the facilitator through which the next generations gain their necessary education. In my opinion, the role of a teacher is multifaceted, but the goal of a teacher should be to work to ensure that his or her students have the necessary tools and skills to develop a greater knowledge base and a deeper level of understanding. Teachers help students to become better learners and reach their highest potential. I believe that one of the greatest skills that a person can develop is “learning how to learn”. I want to be a teacher that helps my students to learn how to acquire knowledge because with knowledge comes better understanding and the ability to improve. It is my wish that students leave my classroom with more than simply knowledge of facts and figures, but a desire to continue learning. I hope to achieve this by creating a learning environment that is engaging, interesting, and fun.

It is my desire to be the kind of teacher that provides my students with an environment that fosters learning. I believe that students learn best through researching, discovering, and practicing concepts so that they might create their own understanding and therefore be able to assign meaning to what they have learned. As young children, we learn certain skills through trial and error. There is not always someone to guide us, but our experiences, whether good or bad, help us to construct understanding and learning takes place. Project and learner-centered instruction are strategies that I believe to be most helpful in allowing students to develop their own understanding. I also think that it is more fun for students to be able to learn as they “do”. The ability for students to construct understanding and meaning from activities is a skill that will undoubtedly benefit them in all areas of their lives. I want my students to be successful learners and come a bit closer to reaching their highest potential when they leave my classroom.

With advancements in technology, the world is quickly changing. The fact that technology is more readily accessible in school environments means that technology is also heavily influencing education. Not only is technology changing the way that instructors design lessons, it is also affecting the way that lessons are implemented within the classroom. My goal, as a future teacher, is to incorporate the use of educational technology into my lesson designs to aid in my ability to offer students engaging opportunities for discovery and learning. With the aid of the right technology, I believe student learning can be enhanced. I hope that by finding ways to incorporate technology into my lesson designs, I can assist students in not only gaining knowledge, but developing much needed skills in the use of technology that will most certainly have a significant influence on their future.

Life is about learning. From a young age, we begin seeking the knowledge to understand the world around us. Education is the key to gaining the knowledge and understanding we seek. It is my belief that the goal of education is to enable individuals to pursue learning, gain knowledge and develop understandings of the world and their place in it, so that they might become productive members of modern society. Inevitably, my philosophies on learning, teaching, and education will continue to be shaped by both my continuing education and the advancement of technological tools. One thing is for certain however, in spite of the changes that occur in education and teaching, my goal has been and always will be to be the most effective educator that I can possibly be.

Emerging Technologies for Instruction- Inspiration

Emerging Technologies for Instruction Assignment

Find 3 examples of lesson plans or activities which incorporate technology and/or media that are examples that are appropriate for your subject and audience. These can be ideas you hear about from talking with colleagues, things you read about in articles, ideas posted on the Web, etc.

1. Activity Using Biteslide 

Recommended audience

From Intermediate to High School students

Topics that would be appropriate for lesson plan or activity

Social Studies, World Geography, Cultural Studies, Countries of the World, etc.

General description of the lesson plan or activity

Creating Travel Journals

The lesson highlighted here, uses a free online tool known as Biteslide. It that allows users to create interesting, creative presentations using slidebooks . This lesson idea can be adapted or modified to incorporate different elements important to the topic being studied by the students. According to the website, the general idea behind this lesson is that “students will use Biteslide to create “road maps” or “travel journals” that help  students review special places they have learned about while also increasing their contact with the cultures, histories, and people they have learned about in their textbooks”. Students can work in a group setting or individually to create presentations highlighting “different geographical locations that they have learned about in their classroom”. Teachers can provide students with questions that will guide them in “pursuing decent and relative information” for the country or related element they are exploring.  Students can obtain information from a variety of resources, but effort should be made to ensure that students understand how to properly cite sources and credit photographs used in their presentations.  This lesson suggests that this project be worked on throughout the year, but the time frame could be adjusted at the teacher’s discretion. When the students have completed their “travel journals” or slidebooks, they can present them online or in print format. 

Modifications for ESL and special needs students are also suggested with this lesson plan.

                                                                                Source: Lesson Plan by Kathryn Rose,

                posted to the Biteslide blog on Dec. 20, 2013.                                 http:www.biteslide.com/blog/category/lesson-plans.com

Weblink to lesson plan or activity, if applicable.

http://www.biteslide.com/blog/category/lesson-plans.com

Why do you think this lesson plan or activity will enhance your teaching and/or your students’ learning?

I believe that this lesson/activity can enhance my teaching, as well as my students learning because it affords them the opportunity to further explore concepts outside of the traditional textbook and creatively present their discoveries to their peers. Rather than simply reading information about other countries from a particular textbook, students can research various aspects of those countries using a variety of resources and media. Whether it is through selected print materials, websites, videos, etc. students can learn more about the places discussed in class and construct visual presentations that will assist them in developing a better understanding of the material.  Also, this activity allows me the opportunity to teach my students about proper documentation of resources that they use. I also helps them to develop and practice their presentations skills, especially if they are asked to present their findings in front of their peers.

2. Activity Using Storyboardthat

Recommended audience

Students in Grades 6^th-12^th.

Topics that would be appropriate for lesson plan or activity

American Independence, Study of the 13 Colonies, Formation of the United States, etc.

General description of the lesson plan or activity

Creating a Storyboard that Outlines How the 13 Colonies became States

This activity involves using the website storyboardthat.com to easily create storyboards that illustrate important concepts/events in United States history. With this activity, the teacher begins by introducing the events in history that surrounded the American Revolution and the creation of the United States. Students are then tasked with using the website to “create a storyboard that acts as a timeline for the first 13 colonies”. In the storyboards, students are asked to include “details of how the states were formed”. This lesson also contains suggestions for events to be included in the students’ storyboards about “how the colonies became states”. These topics include: when “the First Continental Congress is established”, when “Congress became a governing body”, when “war was declared”, and when “the War was won and colonial government ended”. Students could also design separate storyboards to illustrate the events that occurred during this timeframe. Once students have finished creating their storyboards, they could add to their initial creation throughout the school year as they learn about how the United States expanded from the original 13 colonies to the 50 states. This lesson can also be adapted or modified for different events in United States or World History.

Source: The Formation of a Country lesson from storyboardthat.com

http://www.storyboardthat.com/teacher-guide/us-history-activities/activity/113

Weblink to lesson plan or activity, if applicable

http://www.storyboardthat.com/teacher-guide/us-history-activities/activity/113

Why do you think this lesson plan or activity will enhance your teaching and/or your students’ learning?

I think that this activity will enhance my teaching and my students’ learning because it will allow them to creatively illustrate their understanding of the events in history that led to the formation of the United States of America. Many times, it can be challenging for teachers to make learning history and discussing historical events more interesting for students than simply reading the information from a traditional textbook. The drag and drop interface of the website makes it an easy resource for students to learn to use. Due to the fact that the storyboard format is confined to a certain number of cells, students are tasked with using critical thinking skills to determine what information is most important to include in their storyboards in order to accurately portray the events being highlighted. In addition, this lesson helps students to improve their writing and typing skills. With numerous graphics available and the ability to upload images, this website allows students endless creative options to demonstrate their understanding of the historic events being studied. With the popularity of graphic novels among students today, this activity is something that I believe students will enjoy creating, as well as sharing with other students.

3. Activity using FreeRice.com

Recommended audience

Students in Grades 5^th-7^th.

Topics that would be appropriate for lesson plan or activity

Social Studies, Geography, Flags of the World, World Hunger, Cultural Studies, Countries of the World

General description of the lesson plan or activity

Flags of the World Game on freerice.com

In this lesson, students will play the online “Flags of the World” game on freerice.com. This website is maintained by the World Food Program and for every correct answer to a question in the game, 10 grains of rice will be donated to feed hungry people around the globe. According to the lesson plan, “students will complete a profile of a country where the World Food Program operates, choosing from the first 10 flags they correctly identify while playing Flags of the World”. Once the student has completed the basic profile, they will write a report about the country that includes “the reasons food assistance is needed” and how the World Food Program is helping. The aim of this lesson is for students to learn the locations of the countries, as well as their “economic profiles”. In addition, students can gain an awareness and better understanding of world hunger issues and the efforts being made to fight hunger globally. 

Source: The 6degrees of FreeRice.com website

          http://www.freerice.com/freerice6

Weblink to lesson plan or activity, if applicable

Flags of the World-Lesson Plan

http://www.freerice.com/freerice6

Why do you think this lesson plan or activity will enhance your teaching and/or your students’ learning?

I believe that this lesson will certainly enhance my teaching, as well as my students’ learning due to the fact that this activity raises student awareness of geography, cultural differences, and world hunger issues.  One of the greatest things about this lesson is the fact that by just playing the Flags of the World game on freerice.com, students can play a small part in helping to combat world hunger. For every correct answer in the online game, the World Food Program will donate 10 grains of rice to help feed hungry individuals around the globe. I like the fact that, as a teacher, I can incorporate the use of this website and help my students understand how even small actions can help make a difference in the lives of others. In addition to this aspect of the lesson, I like the idea of students being able to research other countries as they gain a better understanding of world geography and global issues. I feel it is important that students have an awareness of the world around them and lessons like this encourage students to learn more about areas outside of their daily surroundings.

My thoughts to address the question, Are Teachers Instructional Designers?

Are Teachers Instructional Designers? Discussion

In your post address the following series of questions:

1.       Connect: How are the ideas and information presented CONNECTED to what we have discussed in previous weeks?

In the last few weeks, we have examined information related to different learning theories and their creators. I believe that the intent in researching these various theories was to gain an understanding of the ways in which learning theories and ideas have progressed over time and to determine which theories most aligned with our beliefs, as educators. One thing that I noticed and I believe others have pointed out this fact as well, is that the basic concepts behind many of the learning theories have not changed, they have just been viewed or analyzed in a different way. In reading the information this week, I discovered that in the chapters from “Audio-Visual Methods in Teaching” by Edgar Dale, when discussing “effective” and “permanent” learning, it was stated that in order for learning to be effective and committed to memory, it must be relevant to the learner.  The ideas of relevance and connecting new ideas to existing information are the building blocks for several cognitive learning theories.  It is mentioned that experience plans an important role in education in that it allows learners to build concepts by organizing and using their experiences to develop understanding of previously unfamiliar information.  This idea was illustrated using a diagram referred to as the “cone of experience”. The notion that personal experiences help learners to develop better understanding of abstract ideas is a key element in constructivism.  The progression of learning theories over the years, seems to align with the progression of instructional design theories. Just as learning theories moved from the more concrete notions of behaviorism to the more complex theories of constructivism, instructional design theories have progressed from focusing mainly on content presented to working to construct various aspects of the learning environment. The focus in instructional design has shifted from how to simply deliver the content to the learner, to how to create an environment in which more “authentic” learning can occur, allowing the learner to construct meaning from the process. This modern approach to instructional design highlights such constructivism elements as social interaction and learner constructed meaning in the learning process.  Essentially, over time, both learning theories and instructional design theories have come to place more emphasis on the role of social interactions in the learning process. Overall, I believe that learning theories are connected to instructional design theories in that learning theories provide the framework for instructional design. The goal of instructional designers is to create lessons that will accomplish specified learning goals and this is only successfully accomplished by consulting learning theories in the course of the development process.        

                                                                                                                                                                 

2.       Extend: What new ideas did you get that EXTENDED or pushed your thinking in new directions?

Before reading the material this week, I had not really given much thought to the extent in which real life experiences impact the learners retention of information. It was mentioned in the readings that many times, learners will memorize terms or information and if they do not have background knowledge with which to connect that information or do not use it daily, they are likely to misuse it or forget it entirely. This makes so much sense to me because I can remember memorizing information in school that I did not have adequate background knowledge or experience with and soon after completing those classes, I would not be able to efficiently use or remember the information. This was especially true for me in my high school Spanish courses. I can recall learning vocabulary terms  and phrases that I was able to successfully use within the context of the classroom, but once I completed those classes, I had great difficulty retaining that information because I did not use it on a daily basis and it was not something that I had previous knowledge of before taking those courses. When I am afforded the opportunity to teach my own class, I do not want this to be the case for my students. Therefore, I really need to carefully examine my instructional design to develop methods that can help my students better relate the information they are learning to what they already know.  

3.       Challenge: What is still CHALLENGING or confusing for you to get your mind around? What questions or wonderings do you now have?

The readings this week seemed to highlight the idea that social interaction has become an increasingly influential factor in the learning process. It is mentioned that learners can gain insight and understanding about new information from social interaction with other learners in their environment. Whether this involves working to construct an idea or simply sharing background knowledge, learners can benefit from conversing with their peers. While I can understand this concept and see the ways that it can positively influence the learning process, I struggle with determining the best way to incorporate the element of social interaction into my lessons. Perhaps I should look more at constructivist learning theories and lessons designed around those theories in order to effectively incorporate social interaction into my lessons. With the vast array of technologies available today, allowing students to connect and interact is possible in a variety of formats from almost anywhere in the world. Teachers are no longer limited to interaction between the pupils in their classrooms, but they can allow their students to connect with other students in the school, neighboring cities, or even other countries. I suppose that my biggest dilemma or challenge is figuring out how I can utilize these resources, along with constructivist principles and not allow the social interaction aspect of the lesson to deter the learning process.  

4.        Finally, try to answer this question: Are teachers learning designers? Why are why not?

I believe that teachers are learning designers in the basic sense of the term because teachers should explore new ways to enhance their teaching methods and facilitate successful learning experiences for their students. While they may not possess the plethora of skills outlined in the readings this week, the goal of the teacher is the same as an instructional designer and that is to design lessons that effectively facilitate learning. If a teacher designs a lesson to help his/her students achieve a particular learning goal and the lesson is not or does not accomplish this task, it then becomes the mission of a good teacher to evaluate the problems in the lesson design. By examining the problems, the teacher can work to design an improved lesson that will help his/her students reach the intended goal. Successful teachers are always learning from their mistakes and adjusting to improve their lessons in hopes of helping their students to reach the learning goals that have been established.  Therefore, I would consider teachers learning designers, because they not only work to design the methods by which information is presented, but they also work to improve lessons so that increased learning can take place.

Thoughts on Incorporating Educational Technology/Media into Lessons

1.       Identify a subject area and describe how educational technology and/or media might be incorporated to enrich a specific lesson in that area.

One of my favorite subjects is Social Studies and I think that incorporating educational technology and/or media can certainly enrich a social studies lesson. I think that the possibilities are numerous when it comes to ways to integrate educational technology within this subject area. For this example however, I would like to discuss the idea of implementing technology into a lesson involving World Geography. I think that the use of the program ePals with students in a social studies classroom would be a great resource to help them to gain a better understanding of world geography by researching different world countries. If the students were assigned different countries to research, they could use other online resources as well, such as websites, videos, maps, etc. to increase their knowledge base. National Geographic and other sites offer great resources to help students learn about various aspects of countries around the globe. The ePals program allows teachers to connect their students with other students/classrooms from around the world. Teachers could connect students with students from their assigned country and they could correspond using the available resources within ePals. This interaction would give the students that are researching countries greater insight into their assigned country from a student currently residing there. Not only does the use of this technology enhance the learning process, but it helps the students to improve their communication skills as well.  The incorporation of various technologies and media makes the learning process more interesting for the learner than simply reading material from a book. Once the students have completed their research, they can use other tools like PowerPoint, Jing, Biteslide, etc., to create visual presentations about their countries that can be shared with their classmates or uploaded to the internet and shared with a larger audience. Allowing students to use these tools to share their findings offers them different opportunities to not only share what they have learned, but to also express their creativity.

2.       What, if any, pitfalls exist in utilizing educational technology in instruction? Describe.

As with anything, there can be “pitfalls” or disadvantages to utilizing educational technology in instruction. One of the issues that I can imagine would be the fact that if a teacher asks his/her students to use certain technologies that they are unfamiliar with, a certain amount of class time must be dedicated to teaching the students the proper way to utilize the tools they will be using. While some educators see this as simply part of the process, others might feel as though this could be a disadvantage because it takes up valuable classroom time. Another pitfall that I can see relates to lack of resources. If a teacher selects to have his/her students use certain educational programs or tools, but there are not enough computers or devices available for use, this could lessen the ability of the tools to enhance the learning process and instead, make the assigned task more difficult. Also, it is important to consider whether or not students will be able to use the selected tools outside of the classroom or if they will only be able to work during the specified class period.  Potential problems could arise if the students are tasked with a time sensitive project and lack the ability to access the technology at home and can only use it at school. Technology can be a great resource within the classroom if utilized properly. If used in the wrong way, I feel that it can hinder the learning process instead of enhance it. I feel that it is important for teachers who wish to implement technology into their lessons, to always have an alternate plan, should the use of the technology not work as anticipated. Sometimes, the best lessons can be sidetracked when a slide show, video, or computer program does not work as intended. This is perhaps one of the biggest pitfalls that I can imagine because if a tool does not work correctly and a teacher is unprepared to continue without the lesson without the use of that technology, the learning process is greatly interrupted. The use of technology in education should be to enhance the learning process, not to interfere with it.

Factors to Consider When Introducing New Technology/Media into the Classroom

There are many factors that you need to consider when you are thinking about introducing new technologies or media. What are the biggest issues you need to consider in your school? Have any of your colleagues attempted to integrate new technologies/media in their classes? If so, were they successful? If not, what happened? What can you learn from their experience?

One of the first things that I feel is important to consider when thinking about introducing new technologies or media within my future classroom would be the issue of available resources. While new technologies can be a great asset within an educational environment, they are only effective if you have the proper resources to implement them within that environment. I went to school in a district where funding was always an issue and I currently work in a rural district where budgets are often tight and the amount of technology resources available are often few.  Unlike some schools, where every student has access to their own computer or mobile device, the schools that I am most familiar with often have a single computer lab that all students must share and one or two computers per classroom. In addition, most students do not have access to internet or computers at home and if required to access information outside of school, they would not have the resources at their disposal in order to complete that task. While efforts are being made to improve this situation, the availability of these resources is certainly something to consider before deciding to implement new technologies or media in my classroom. The new tools can not be as effective if I do not have the necessary resources to allow all students to access this technology. 

Another factor to consider is the issue of content and privacy. Any new media or technology that is introduced to the students needs to be evaluated by faculty or administrators to determine if the content is appropriate for the students and whether or not privacy issues will arise from the use of the new technology. I also feel it is important to determine if the media or tool being introduced within the classroom allows students to access outside resources that would not be appropriate for school activities or contains advertisements, links, etc. that are not appropriate or necessary for school related work.

One factor that has been a road block at the campus where I currently work has been the issue of having to have new programs installed by campus technology specialists before teachers can use the program with their students.  A teacher that I work with is currently conducting afterschool tutorial sessions in order to help prepare students for the upcoming STAAR test. She found a fun and educational computer program that she wanted the student to be able to use during tutorials. Before tutorials began, she put in a request to have the program installed on the campus set of netbooks that could be used within her classroom after school. She has made numerous inquiries as to the progress of the instillation and after four weeks, has yet to receive word that the program is installed and ready for the students to use. Although school approval is a necessary step and I can see the need for instillation by campus technology specialists, the time frame that it takes to accomplish these steps interferes with the ability to successfully implement this program.  I suppose that one of the lessons that I have learned from her experience is that if there is any new technology or media that I want to introduce within my future classroom, if would be most efficient if I can decide which tools need to be implemented using this process and make my request earlier, rather than later to help ensure that the process of preparing to implement these new resources proceeds in a timely manner.

3 Examples of Emerging Technologies for Instruction

1.       Twiducate

Description:

Twiducate is a social networking program for schools “developed for teachers by teachers”. This program allows student and teachers to collaborate through an online private network. Participants can share ideas and post discussions, assignments, etc. The website refers to this program as “a medium for teachers and students to continue their learning outside of the classroom”. The purpose is to “provide a more educationally focused, safe venue for teachers, schools, and home learners” in regards to social networking.      Source: www.twiducate.com

Application of Technology: (example lesson plan)

       Instructional Activity:

       When studying important literary figures or historical figures, the teacher could post dialogue from a literary figures or a famous speech from a well known historical figures in Twiducate for all students to view. Students could then be prompted to brainstorm ideas using the chat portion of Twiducate to develop what they feel are relevant additions to the speech or imagined dialogue from the literary figures in the continuation of the traditional story from which the dialogue was taken. For instance, if students have been studying William Shakespeare, dialogue between two characters could be taken from a certain act of one of Shakespeare’s plays and students could then be prompted to form their own modern interpretation of the dialogue for that act, as well as continue to develop imagined dialogue for the remainder of the story. This idea could also be applied to speeches by historical figures. The students could each develop and post their own interpretations of the dialogue, as well as imagined dialogue and use the “Like”  icon in Twiducate to vote for their favorite. When favorites have been determined, those works can be added to the original post, thus creating a new interpretation of a classic work. (This activity will require monitoring on the part of the teacher to ensure appropriateness of content in relation to the dialogue posted.)Upon completion of the task, the completed work could be saved and printed for the entire class to read and discuss or even act out. 

Source: https://taitcoles.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/35-ways-to-use-twiducate-for-deeper-learning/

        For additional activity and lesson ideas, please take a look at the following resource:

        35 ways to use Twiducate for deeper learning.

        I believe that the incorporation of Twiducate within an educational environment can help to enhance the learning process because it allows for collaboration and work that would normally only transpire within the classroom, to continue outside of school hours if needed. Also, the format affords students who might not be as social within the classroom, the opportunity to share their ideas and contributions online, where they might feel less apprehensive about sharing. In addition, teachers can post information or assignments within Twiducate while monitoring student collaboration and progress.

Useful Details:

Cost- Twiducate is a free, online program that only requires a teacher to register gain access and establish student accounts that allow a class to participate. (The only possible cost that I can see, would be the cost associated with ensuring that computers and an internet connection are available for use.)

Learning Curve- The technology is fairly easy to use (especially for individuals who are familiar with Twitter) and requires minimal training in order to be implemented within the learning environment.

Training Availability- There are training resources available both on the website, as well as sites like YouTube that instruct both teachers and students on how to effectively use the technology. Here are a few links to YouTube videos explaining how to use Twiducate:

Teacher- Lesson on Using Twiducate

Student- Twiducate for Students

Source: www.youtube.com

Required Support- Support resources are available through the Twiducate website and the required support should be minimal in nature, as this program is internet based and does not require routine maintenance by school networks. (Since teachers are able to monitor accounts within Twiducate, it would be beneficial for them to closely monitor student activity and provide the needed support should students encounter issues.)

2.       Storybird

Description:

Storybird is an online program that allows users to create visual stories. Using artwork from illustrators and artists from around the globe, this tool inspires writers of all ages to tell their stories. Artists can contribute to the site and earn royalties for their work. Users have the ability to create picture books, poems, short stories, books, etc. and make them available for others to read online and offer feedback. Readers can access numerous works within Storybird’s online library. This tool offers a way for a “global community of writers, readers, and artists of all ages” to interact. Source: www.storybird.com

Application of Technology: (example lesson plan)

Instructional Activities:

1. In order to truly encourage students to express their creativity, teachers could use the resources available in Storybird to allow students to compose journal entries with accompanying artwork. Students could be tasked with signing into storybird and composing a daily journal entry based upon topics or themes provided by the teacher or inspired by daily events in the lives of the students. The features of Storybird would allow students to produce a visually compelling expression of their thoughts and feelings that could be shared with others. Upon completion of a journal entry or entries, the teacher could examine the work and offer the student an option of either printing the information to produce a physical work (document/book), or saving the information and sharing it with others online. (The teacher would need to monitor the writings and review them before allowing the student to share, but this is easily done with features in Storybird.)This activity would give students a creative outlet for expressing ideas, while helping them improve their writing skills.

2. Another possible classroom activity using Storybird, would be for teachers to task students with contributing to a progressive story through the Storybird site. The teacher could assign students certain illustrations to be used as inspiration for their story. One set of  students could be given a specific amount of time to compose a few sentences inspired by the illustration or tasked with creating a certain length of writing to accompany the photo (ie. 3 sentences or 1 paragraph). Upon completion of their task, another set of students could add to the writing. (Storybird does contain a collaboration feature, but students must select collaborators before the story is published.) This process could be repeated until the story is completed or it reaches a length desired by the teacher. Still another way to complete this same task, would be for the teacher to assign each student a different illustration that is relative to the overall story and have the students compose writings to accompany their given illustrations. Either way, allows students to work on a progressive story that, upon completion, could be saved, printed, and shared online for other users and fellow classmates to view. (The teacher would need to monitor the writings and review them before allowing the students to share, but this is easily done with features in Storybird.)This activity allows students to collaboratively use their creative writing skills to produce an interesting, illustrated story. Source: http://technologyskills.net/storybird-in-the-classroom/

For additional activities and lesson ideas, please take a look at the following resources:

Storybird in the Classroom, PacadaVision (website) : Storybird in the Classroom

I believe that the use of Storybird within an educational setting can enhance learning because it allows students to express their creativity while working to improve their writing skills. In addition, the ability for students to publish their work, as well as receive feedback from instructors, peers, and other Storybird users can help students to develop a greater understanding of the writing process. The fact that users can also read numerous works by other authors helps them to improve upon their reading skills and hopefully inspires them to continue to advance their writing skills.

Useful Details:

Cost-Storybird is a free, online tool that simply requires a user to register for an account to gain access. Educators can register for an account that provides them with the option of creating free student accounts associated with that account. (The only possible cost that I can see, would be the cost associated with ensuring that computers and an internet connection are available for use.)

Learning Curve-There is little to no learning curve associated with the use of Storybird, as it is relatively simple to use and designed for use by all ages.

Training Availability- The Storybird website contains information on how to use this tool. There are          also videos and other training resources available online. Here are some links to videos on YouTube that illustrate how to use Storybird:

Teachers- Super Storytelling with StoryBird

Students- StoryBird Intro for Students Source: www.youtube.com

Required Support- Support resources are available through the Storybird website and the required support should be minimal in nature, as this program is internet based and does not require routine maintenance by school networks. (Since teachers are able to monitor accounts within Storybird, it would be beneficial for them to closely monitor student activity and provide the needed support should students encounter issues.)

3.       ePals

Description:

ePals is an internet based learning environment where teachers can use various tools to “create real world, culturally-enriching learning experiences for their students”. Teachers can connect their classroom with other students/classrooms from around the globe and safely allow them to interact and correspond with one another using the various features available within this program, such as the ePals Global Classroom feature and SchoolMail365. In addition, students can access a variety of “stories, poems, educational games, and other digital media created by award-winning authors and illustrators”.      Source: www.eals.com

Application of Technology: (example lesson plan)

Lesson Using ePals and Biteslide

Topic: World Geography

          (Countries of the World)

Students: 9th Grade Social Studies Classroom

Learning goal: Students will learn more about World Geography by researching about different countries of the world and connecting with other students through the use of selected technologies.

Technologies/ Web 2.0 Tools: ePals (www.epals.com) and Biteslide (www.biteslide.com)

Objectives:

·         Students will develop an understanding of the geographical location of the United States in relation to other countries of the world.

·         Students will learn facts about their assigned countries including: the geographic location, capital, major cities, landmarks, trade industries, imports, exports, currency, food, climate, population, etc.

·         Students will develop increased understanding of the culture and lifestyle in their assigned country through online correspondence with students from that country.

·         Students will increase their knowledge by sharing their discoveries with other students.

Instructional Activities:

1.                   The teacher will assign each student a selected country of the world that he/she is to research.

2.                   The teacher will register with ePals and Biteslide to create student accounts and retrieve student access information.

3.                    Students will be provided with access to the ePals site  and asked to log in to receive their assigned country and corresponding research assignment. (This information will be available  for students to view within the ePals Project Workspace.)

 4.          Students will use selected resources to research certain criteria about their assigned  tries, (such as geographic location, capital city, major cities, landmarks, trade industries, imports, exports, currency, food, climate, population, etc.). ** An outline for the required research criteria will be made available to students through a posting on the ePals   site within the Project Workspace.** (Suggested Outline:Country Research Outline )

  5.          The teacher will match the student or class of students with a class or student from the  assigned research country through the ePals Global Classroom. Students can correspond  with their assigned students through the ePals SchoolMail365 in order to gain first hand  information about their assigned country from a fellow student living there. (Teachers can  provide guidelines for correspondence and monitor interactions between students within the ePals Project Workspace.)

  6.          Following the research outline, students will collect and organize their findings about their assigned countries. Using the online tool Biteslide, students will log-in and use the available technology to create a slide presentation (slidebook) containing their findings about their  assigned countries.

  7.          After creating their slidebooks, students will then either download their presentations and upload them within the ePals Project Workspace or post links to their Biteslide presentations  within the ePals site (Project Workspace) for other students within the class to be able to view and offer feedback.

**Both students and the teacher can offer feedback on completed projects (slidebooks) on either the Biteslide website or within the ePals Project Workspace.**

Lesson Evaluation:

The teacher can use the student created slidebooks, along with the selected research criteria to  evaluate student understanding and determine successful completion of the assigned research project.

I feel that the use of ePals within an educational environment can enhance both the teaching and learning process. Having the ability to connect students with other students/classrooms from around the globe expands the learning possibilities because it, in essence, removes the boundaries of the traditional classroom and increases the possibilities for collaboration and the exchange of information. Teachers can safely monitor correspondence amongst participants and the ability to video conference between classrooms allows for synchronous communication, thus adding to the learning experience.

Useful Details:

Cost-ePals is a free, internet based program that simply requires an educator to register for an account in order to create student accounts that will allow them to implement this technology within their classroom. (The only possible cost that I can see, would be the cost associated with ensuring that computers and an internet connection are available for use.)

Learning Curve-The is a minimal learning curve associated with using ePals in that both teachers and students need to become familiar with the available resources within the program. I would say that the majority of the resources and communication tool within ePals are user friendly and should not take a great deal of time to learn.

Training Availability- The ePals website contains information and instructional videos on how to use various elements within this program. There are also videos and other training resources available online. Here is a link to a video that I made illustrating how to use the ePals program:

Brief demonstration of the technologies: (using Jing)

(Please click on the title to view the demonstration.)

ePals

  Source: www.epals.com 

Required Support- Support resources are available through the ePals website and the required support should be minimal in nature, as this program is internet based and does not require routine maintenance by school networks. (Since teachers are able to monitor accounts within ePals, it would be beneficial for them to closely monitor student activity and provide the needed support should students encounter issues.)