EDUC 518 ePortfolio
Activity #1
http://kbr89.blogspot.com/
I was surprised at how easy it was to build a blog. I have been contemplating making one for a few months now, and the major problem was I did not know how to begin. The steps the group gave us were specific, straight forward, and easy to follow.
As far as using this in the classroom, I do not think I would have my students make their own blog. I would potentially make my own blog as a site for students to access information about the class. However, in support of cautioning students against false information on the internet, I would want them to make sure they had a purpose for any posts they made to the internet, not simply writing for others to see just for the sake of the views.
Activity #2: Wiki
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I find wikis an interesting way
for students to collaborate. It opens a door for easy discussion through
the Internet. It would be convenient for students to interact with other
students whenever they have time. If four students are working on a project and
two play sports, one works, and the other does neither, a wiki is a portal they
could use to discuss their project without being forced to meet at a specific
time. Instead, they could post their ideas as they come and feed off of each other’s
thoughts.
As a future language arts teacher, one potential way I could use wikis would be to use it for class discussion of a text. We could read a book and discuss the symbolism, characters, and arguments considered throughout that book. This could be a more anonymous way for students to contribute. Some students in the class may feel self-conscious speaking their opinions in front of their peers. A wiki could be the answer to encouraging these students to be more active in discussions. And as the organizer of the wiki, I could view who was contributing to monitor responses and check that everyone is participating.
As a future language arts teacher, one potential way I could use wikis would be to use it for class discussion of a text. We could read a book and discuss the symbolism, characters, and arguments considered throughout that book. This could be a more anonymous way for students to contribute. Some students in the class may feel self-conscious speaking their opinions in front of their peers. A wiki could be the answer to encouraging these students to be more active in discussions. And as the organizer of the wiki, I could view who was contributing to monitor responses and check that everyone is participating.
Activity #3: RSS
RSS is something I will use personally every day. It is so convenient to have everything I want to see and read about in one simple location. I can’t believe I had not heard of this before!
As far as using it in the classroom, I would have my students create their own RSS. Because I want to teach high schoolers, I believe the upper grades will have enough maturity to handle this system. The way I would use it in the beginning is teaching them to find trustworthy websites. I would ask questions like: how do you determine if a website credible? How often does the website need to add posts to keep the information you want to know coming in? What kind of information do you want to see every day? I would leave the questions open, as is encouraged in partnering, to let them discover and learn on their own.
The second way I would use RSS in my classroom is through writing assignments. Because I am going into language arts, my students would need to be reading and writing on a daily basis. Therefore, I would have them read through their RSS every day, if possible. On certain days, I would have them choose one article to read and write about. I would have them pick an article from their own RSS (something they are interested in), have them read and analyze it, and they write. The writing assignment would include a summary of the article as well as what they thought about it (why it is important, interesting, or relevant).
As far as using it in the classroom, I would have my students create their own RSS. Because I want to teach high schoolers, I believe the upper grades will have enough maturity to handle this system. The way I would use it in the beginning is teaching them to find trustworthy websites. I would ask questions like: how do you determine if a website credible? How often does the website need to add posts to keep the information you want to know coming in? What kind of information do you want to see every day? I would leave the questions open, as is encouraged in partnering, to let them discover and learn on their own.
The second way I would use RSS in my classroom is through writing assignments. Because I am going into language arts, my students would need to be reading and writing on a daily basis. Therefore, I would have them read through their RSS every day, if possible. On certain days, I would have them choose one article to read and write about. I would have them pick an article from their own RSS (something they are interested in), have them read and analyze it, and they write. The writing assignment would include a summary of the article as well as what they thought about it (why it is important, interesting, or relevant).
Activity #4
Twitter and Flickr
I would use Twitter to get my students connected to the outside world. They could follow their favorite sports start or actors and learn about them. I would also have them follow politicians during elections to find out more about their campaigns. I would also have them follow some news and other media to stay up to date on current events. This is a great tool to connect my classroom to other places so my students feel like they are a part of the big picture.
Flickr would be an awesome tool in my language arts classroom. I could have my students pick a picture and write a short story or poem about it. Also, it is difficult to get students to use a larger vocabulary in papers and everyday language. Therefore, I would have them to an "A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words" activity. I would either give them a picture or have them pick their own and have them write literally 1,000 words about the picture. It could be a story or just random words. This would encourage the broadening of their vocabulary.
Diigo
I would not necessarily use Diigo with my students. I would want to use it as a way to collaborate with other teachers. For example, my mother is an English teacher for high school. This tool would be a great way for us to share different articles or websites that would be useful in our classrooms. It would save us a lot of time and confusion because instead of trying to explain an interesting article, I could simply post it and highlight the part I found most useful.
I would use Twitter to get my students connected to the outside world. They could follow their favorite sports start or actors and learn about them. I would also have them follow politicians during elections to find out more about their campaigns. I would also have them follow some news and other media to stay up to date on current events. This is a great tool to connect my classroom to other places so my students feel like they are a part of the big picture.
Flickr would be an awesome tool in my language arts classroom. I could have my students pick a picture and write a short story or poem about it. Also, it is difficult to get students to use a larger vocabulary in papers and everyday language. Therefore, I would have them to an "A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words" activity. I would either give them a picture or have them pick their own and have them write literally 1,000 words about the picture. It could be a story or just random words. This would encourage the broadening of their vocabulary.
Diigo
I would not necessarily use Diigo with my students. I would want to use it as a way to collaborate with other teachers. For example, my mother is an English teacher for high school. This tool would be a great way for us to share different articles or websites that would be useful in our classrooms. It would save us a lot of time and confusion because instead of trying to explain an interesting article, I could simply post it and highlight the part I found most useful.
Activity #5: Podcasts
Working with Screencast-O-Matic was surprisingly easy. I really liked the fact that it was free. Teachers are always looking for inexpensive things to use in their classrooms. I think this one would be useful in many ways. In the podcast, I discuss using podcasts and videos as ways to post assignments for my students. It is one way they could easily access all the information they need as long as they have a computer or portable device. I would also use it was a way to record discussions with the class. When students write papers about different books, they could develop or expand on their ideas by listening again to what we have already discussed as a class.
One way I would use this tool that I did not discuss my podcast is when I miss a class. If I know I am going to be absent for a class, I could record the assignment or activity on a podcast and leave it for the sub to play for the class. This would prevent losing a whole class day just because I was not there. Well why stop there? Why not record all classes so the students who are absent could still get the material? Students who get sick or have to be absent from school for extracurricular activities could listen to the class lecture, discussion, or activity after the class so they will still be up-to-date on what we are doing in class. Attendance would still be an important part of their grade; so, they could not skip class just because they could get the material somewhere else. However, I think this would be a great way to not lose any class days due to teacher or student absence.
One way I would use this tool that I did not discuss my podcast is when I miss a class. If I know I am going to be absent for a class, I could record the assignment or activity on a podcast and leave it for the sub to play for the class. This would prevent losing a whole class day just because I was not there. Well why stop there? Why not record all classes so the students who are absent could still get the material? Students who get sick or have to be absent from school for extracurricular activities could listen to the class lecture, discussion, or activity after the class so they will still be up-to-date on what we are doing in class. Attendance would still be an important part of their grade; so, they could not skip class just because they could get the material somewhere else. However, I think this would be a great way to not lose any class days due to teacher or student absence.
Activity #6: Edmodo
My group number is chezjt.
I really like the idea of using Edmodo in my classroom. It would be an easy way to post assignments for my students to complete and keep track of their progress. Also, students could not claim to have lost the assignment because it would be available online for them to view 24/7. Grading would be much easier, too. For quizzes, I could post them on Edmodo and the site would grade for me.
I also like the fact that parents can go on Edmodo and see what their students are doing. They can see grades, assignments, and posts so they are always up to date on what is happening in their child’s class. If parents were concerned about their child's grade, I could simply direct them to the site to see if the student has been doing the assignments and how well he/she is doing. I could also post reminders for parents and students about what is coming up in class or events in the school.
Because I want to focus my classroom on preparing students for the outside world, this site is a great introduction to online classes they will take in college or in upper level classes. Although the site is a little different from sites like Canvas and Blackboard, it is still working online to pass a class. Therefore, they would learn time management skills and self-motivation for school. Both of these are important for high school.
Overall, I think students would like the site because it is so much like Facebook. They can make a profile, add pictures, and do their homework all at the same time. It is new and interesting and I think they would like it.
I really like the idea of using Edmodo in my classroom. It would be an easy way to post assignments for my students to complete and keep track of their progress. Also, students could not claim to have lost the assignment because it would be available online for them to view 24/7. Grading would be much easier, too. For quizzes, I could post them on Edmodo and the site would grade for me.
I also like the fact that parents can go on Edmodo and see what their students are doing. They can see grades, assignments, and posts so they are always up to date on what is happening in their child’s class. If parents were concerned about their child's grade, I could simply direct them to the site to see if the student has been doing the assignments and how well he/she is doing. I could also post reminders for parents and students about what is coming up in class or events in the school.
Because I want to focus my classroom on preparing students for the outside world, this site is a great introduction to online classes they will take in college or in upper level classes. Although the site is a little different from sites like Canvas and Blackboard, it is still working online to pass a class. Therefore, they would learn time management skills and self-motivation for school. Both of these are important for high school.
Overall, I think students would like the site because it is so much like Facebook. They can make a profile, add pictures, and do their homework all at the same time. It is new and interesting and I think they would like it.