Podcasting

I was one of the few in class who had no idea what a podcast was.  I knew there was a tab for them on itunes but I had never looked at them.  As you can imagine, I learned a whole lot from the group presentation on podcasting.  

Who knew it was so easy to make your own podcast?! What a fun activity for students to try!  I thought more about incorporating this into my classroom when Liz taught us about audioblogger.  This seemed like a relatively easy tool for students to use to create their very own audio diary/podcast/blog.  I know the students would be excited to try any assignment that allowed them to use their cellphones!  I can see them being excited and engaged in whatever assignment I chose to use the podcasting for.  

Another interesting thing I learned from the presentation was that there are thousands of podcasts available and FREE on itunes!  You can search by whatever you want and have many different options.  I drive an hour everyday so I listen to TED talks in the car.  The problem with that is sometimes they refer to their Powerpoint presentations that I am not able to watch as I am driving.  I think listening to podcasts would be a better option.  

Overall the presentation influenced me to listen to podcasts and perhaps try having my students record short messages as homework.  The presentation did not motivate me to make my own podcasts.  That still seems a little to tech advanced for me :) 

Cellphones in the Classroom-

 

The joy a 9-year-old gets from his first cellphone! 

Last week we had a very informative speaker come in and talk to us about all of the educational uses for a cellphone.  I was fascinated by her presentation and grateful for all of the resources she shared with us.  I was also very moved by her story and found it extremely motivating.  

I was unsure about incorporating cellphones into my classroom because I did not want students without a smart phone to be at a disadvantage.  The guest speaker shared with us numerous things you could do with students with just a simple flip phone!  I was blown away.  

Audioblogger - I think this would be a great tool to use with students.  As a science teacher I imagine taking students on a trip outside and having them audio record what they saw, what interested them, what they would like to know more about, etc.  This would be useful for me to learn about what their interests are but it could also be an intriguing lesson launch for students.  There are a lot of different avenues we could go down from here... 

As a mom I agreed with the speaker when she presented evidence about - the younger students are introduced to texting the better their ability to read words.  My son could read by the age of three and he spent a lot of time on my cellphone.  When we would be out to long dinners he would text his aunts and uncles to pass the time.  He began by asking me how to spell certain words around the age of two and I would help and tell him what they had said back.  As time went on he got better and better at not only texting but reading the responses.  So far this year he has gotten a 100% on every single one of his spelling tests and he is one of the top readers in his class, although math and social studies are his favorite subjects.  The guest speaker got quite a bit of negative feedback when she presented this evidence but I agree with what she presented.  My son is in 3rd grade and just got his first phone for his birthday.  He loves the games on it but also uses the kindle app to read books :)  

The only question I had that I did not get to ask was - how do you find out what phone, if any, students have without embarrassing those without.  The only thing I could think of was an anonymous survey.  Any other ideas or things you guys have seen?

Tech in My Placement

My placement school has computers in the media center, two laptop carts, a few smart boards, some ELMO projectors, and a whole lot of smart phones!  Teachers at my placement school hang signs in their hall windows that are either red, yellow, or green.  The students know that these colors designate the level at which their phone can be used.  Red means it cannot be out at all, yellow means it can be used if it is for educational purposes, and green means have at it.  

My teacher keeps the yellow sign up and the kids do a great job at using their phones when the time is right.  Last week we were in the lab and the students were creating a model of a cell using things they had brought in from home.  Most of the students pulled up a photo of a cell on their phones and used that photo to successfully complete the project.  This week students were asked to write about how oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse across your alveoli into your capillaries.  I was happy to walk around see students googling and researching this topic on their phones.

I have also noticed students taking pictures of the agenda for the day or the assigned homework.  These may be students who do not have a planner or place to write down their homework so this is exciting that they are actually going to know what to do when they get home!  I plan on using Remind101 when I begin teaching so I will be able to send out a mass text reminding students and parents (if they choose) about the assigned homework.  This is an awesome tool I saw used over the summer.  Read more about Remind101 below- 

https://www.remind101.com/about

I look forward to doing webquest activities with my students in order to enhance student learning about difficult topics in science.  I have been researching some interactive activities to do with my students and found a great edublogger in the process!  I also plan on showing a lot of YouTube videos about different processes in science - Kreb, mitosis, meiosis, DNA replication, transcription, glycolysis, etc. etc.  The list is endless.  I have found it so helpful to watch animations of these processes when trying to learn them.  It brings them to life and is a lot more engaging then reading about them in a textbook (although students will be expected to do this also).  I have started writing my guided notes and have embedded links to videos throughout.  

What interesting things have you guys seen in your placements?  Any resources I must check out?  I look forward to hearing about your schools.