Blog #14 and #15

Throughout this class, we have learned that there are many different kinds of technology tools that could be used in the classroom that would be extremely useful in project based learning. At this point, I feel like I am fairly equipped to conduct project based learning in a classroom. Of course, there would be a few bumps along the way. I think my weakness in reference to this is that I would be afraid of failure when conducting PBL. However, I think my willingness to go through trial and error would create many opportunities to learn something new along with my students. I think there are two main things I need to work on to better prepare myself to conduct PBL in my future classroom: I need more confidence that it will be successful, and I need to broaden my knowledge of different technology tools I could use. Here are several videos I watched that actually helped me with this:

In How to make an audio QR Code, we learn a very simple way of how to create and use a QR code. A QR code is very similar to a bar code. You can scan QR codes using a smart phone and it will take you to whatever it was created for. In the case of this video, the QR code will take us to an audio file that the teacher created using the website Record mp3. After she created the audio file, she took the URL and pasted it on QR Code Monkey and generated a QR code she could send to her student's parents. This website could also create QR codes for phone numbers, emails, Facebook and twitter links, and practically anything else you want to link it to.

In the video, iPad Reading Center, we see a teacher show as an example of how she uses iPads in her classroom. In this video, she shows us that they can be very useful tools in reading centers. She has her students record themselves reading something, and then watch it to check if they made any mistakes. This a great activity for younger students while using technology.

In Poplet with Ginger Tuck, Ms. Tuck presents us with a neat app, Popplet, that allows her kindergarten

students to create webs. She uses this apps to teach students to create webs based off a book they have read. This is a great tool to not only help students better understand what they are reading, but to also help them with their typing skills.

In AVL and Kindergarten Students, we see a kindergarten teacher show us how to use the Alabama Virtual Library on the iPad in a center. The teacher has the children pick a word from a list she gives, and they have to search it on the AVL app on their iPads. They then listen to the examples that the search provides. She then has them draw a picture of what they searched and write a sentence from what they listened to. Once again, this a great app for students to use in the classroom.

In the video, Tuck iMovie Trailer for Kindergarten, Ms. Tuck shows us what she learned to do with iMovie on the iPad and how she used it in her class. Ultimately, she learned that iMovie is a great way for students to have fun reading. It allows them to creatively show what they read. As we have used iMovie in this class, I can also agree that it is a great tool for students to use to help them better understand what they are reading.

In Tammy Shirley Discovery Education Board Builder Moon Project, Ms. Shirley has one of her students show an example of a board they created using the Discovery Education Board Builder app. This allows students to show what they are learning on a poster board-like layout. They can post pictures, videos, and almost anything else they want. This tool allows students a great sense of ownership over their work as well as make it fun for them to learn the required material. We see another example of this in two more videos where Mrs. Tassin allows two groups of students to show what they have done with their Board Builder. You can find these videos here and here.

In the interview, Using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in Kindergarten, Ms. Bennett and Ms. Davis

talk about using iMovie and the Alabama Virtual Library in the classroom. Ms. Bennett gets excited when she talks about how much her kindergarten students learn from and enjoy working with iMovie. She says that it helps their reading writing skills tremendously. Ms. Davis also talks about how using AVL really enhanced the use of iMovie.

Ms. Davis and Ms. Bennett also talk about educators using twitter in their interview, Twitter for Educators. They talk about how Twitter has helped them immensely with keeping up to date with all the new forms of education. Ms. Bennett talks chats on Twitter. These go on every night of the week, and all you have to do to access them is type in their hash tag and just follow the discussions. There will be educators from all over the world commenting back and forth, so this is definitely a great source to have on hand for all educators.

In the last interview with Ms. Davis and Ms. Bennett, We All Become Learners, we learn that even educators can be learners. Ms. Bennett shared a story about how one of the students at her school taught her how to properly use the iPad camera on Padlet. She also talked about how the 3-5 teachers at her school don't worry about learning the mechanics of the programs they use because most of the time, their students learn how to do it and will eagerly teach their teachers how to use the programs.

Through watching these videos, I believe that my knowledge of technology tools to use in the classroom have been expanded. I can't wait to begin my career so I can implement what I have learned!