Podcasting, Fun and Useful Tool in the Classroom!

Podcasting is another new and useful tool that the World Wide Web has made accessible to the everyday teacher. A podcast is a audio file that is on the internet which available to be downloaded. It was not until reading this article, TOOLS FOR THE TEKS: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM , that I saw all the benefits of using this new tool in the classroom.

One of the unifying themes I've noticed about technology is that it is a cheap way to provide a variety of learning experiences, and podcasting is no difference. Many times it is free to download a audio file of the internet. To create a podcast, all you need is a cheap ten dollar mic., and programs that can be downloaded for free off this site.

Another benefit of using podcasting is as motivation. I never thought of it this way but it is pretty cool. Some student my be motivated to work harder if they know their ideas are going to be presented to a larger audience, like.... the WHOLE WORLD! This could provide incentive to the wayward student, and allow them a new way to express their ideas.

All in all, there were like 10 reasons to set up a podcast in the classroom. While i found it kind of interesting, I thought the most benefical part of this site is the fact that it provides the sites to download the program to set up a podcast.I am definitly saving this site so I can set up a podcast in my future classroom! I would like to close this article by qouting the site, "The price is right, and the benefits are plentiful. Isn’t it time you and your students started a classroom podcast?"



http://www.wtvi.com/TEKS/05_06_articles/classroom-audio-podcasting.html

This week I read the article "Using Storyboards in the Classroom
Writing Tool for Visual Learners and Classroom Collaboration" I felt that the ideas in this article have already been presented to us in the many introductory education classes, but while personally I did not feel a lot of the ideas where new, I did agree with them. This article basically discussed the advantages of using storyboards in the classroom, both in a lesson plan and as an activity. By presenting the material in a way that is both visual and auditory, the teacher is reaching more students. Many times students are assigned to create a story board which is a great opportunity for the students to work together and apply writing skills in a more creative manner to prove mastery of a concept.
I definitely agree with the article. Any method of teaching that will appeal to more then one type of learner is worth looking into. I know that personally I am not an auditory learner, and anytime I can SEE a concept, I grasp it a lot sooner and a lot stronger. The idea of students creating storyboards makes a lot of sense. Students are able to work together to apply different strengths in a way that will ensure all students understand the concept being taught.
Even before reading this article I would and, plan to incorporate story boards into my lesson plans. It seems like a great way to appeal to the majority of learners, and as a teacher I feel like it should be my goal to present my lesson in a way the appeals to all the different learning styles in my classroom!





Read more: http://teachertipstraining.suite101.com/article.cfm/using_storyboards_in_the_classroom#ixzz0UKu5VhOm

Super AWSOME SITE!!! Look for yourself!!!

(Physics image found at http://www.compadre.org/informal/)


I found this absolutly amazing site when looking for an artical to summerize. I have to admit, the more I get into this class, them more I am finding the information I am learning more and more valuable. In the artical, "Web-Based Resources for Science, Technology, and Engineering: Tools and Activities for Teaching and Learning Curriculum Enhancement" produced by the U.S. Department of Education Cooperative Agreement, and headed up by Jane Hauser was a GREAT ARTICAL!!! It was not some much the artical itself that was so valuable, but the countless links to sites that can be used in the classroom. There were links for student that involved video and interactive games. There were also sites geared toward teachers with lesson plan ideas and hands on activities that can be used in the classroom. Can you tell I'm excited??? I cant wait to finish this to play with a bunch of the links!!!


Okay so now that my rant is done(for the moment...did I mention this is sooo cool!!!), the article itself was really short. The basic idea was that with the development of the internet, kids, even in low-income schools, have access to a varity of Grade A learning materials that cater to a multitude of learning types. That was the just of the article, and it would not have been worth reviewing if it was not for the library of educational sites listed according to subject and grades.

I definitly believe that this article is correct. I did not really understand what a great resource the internet was,I mean I know it is great for research, but the games and videos I found were so cool! I would have loved to have access to this stuff when I was in school. From a teachers perspective, it is a great resource that appeals to kids with different learning styles, that I would love to incorporate into my own science classroom. I also found the sites that aided in lesson plans and suggested hands on activities to be extremely benafical.

If anyone reads this blog and is interested in teaching, I strongly recommend looking at this site and going through some of the links. It really is a great resource!

(Animation explaining Newton's laws of Motion found at http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/newtlaws/cci.cfm)

http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/sci_tech_resources.asp

Virtual Fieldtips

While there are tons of site to take a virtual fieldtrip,I was having problems finding a site ABOUT them. Thankfully I finally came across Tressa Gauci's gradschool paper at the above site and it was extremely informative.
To basically sum up the whole paper, Tressa found through her research that while virtual fieldtrips are great, there are limitations. Students are able to explore different parts of the world we never thought possible, all while sitting in their classroom. This are amazing experiences for kids, but like everything else, there is a down side. While kids are being exposed to new places, they are not engaging congnatively like they would at a physical fieldtrip. So basically, this article states that SUPPLIMENTING virtual fieldtrips with physical fieldtrip is the best way to go.
This relates to our class and technology cause, well, its ONLINE fieldtrips. It shows the pros and cons of incorporating the use of the internet in the classroom. I learned that there is a whole market for online fieldtrips to some really amazing places and I would love to use this type of resource to allow my students to experience these places that they would otherwise not be able to do. I also agree that virtual fieldtrips should not replace physical ones. Seeing and doing are two diferent things and one should not replace the other.
After reading this paper, I really don’t feel the urge to research any more on the pros and cons of virtual fieldtrips. However, I would love to look into the different companies the create these online experiences. It is a really interesting topic worth looking into.

eassay found at
http://tiger.towson.edu/users/tnorri2/grad%20school%20research%20fieldtrips.doc

Hey everyone! My name's Christina. I am not sure if I am suppose to post this here, but I figured better safe then sorry.
So...I am a sophomore. I just changed my major from Early Childhood Education to Secondary Biology Education. I absolutely love teaching and I am super interested in science. I just bought thirteen books filled with science experiments for kids and am planning a science camp for a preschool I work at. I have always wanted to teach because I love learning and I love seeing kids grasp a new concept I teach them, especially when they don't know they are learning.
I want to be a teacher so I can make the learning experience fun and exciting. I am a strong believer that kids learn best through hands on activities and games. The education field would be better off if all grades were taught as a preschool class. Preschool teachers spend so much time making their lessons exciting and engaging and for some reason that method of teaching is lost as the age of the child increases. I can not wait to teach science to a middle school class and doing all these awsome experiments.
I am really artisy crafsy. I love making jealwery and sketching. I also have a habit of randomly deciding to do experiments for the fun of it, like a baking soda volcano or disolving the shell of an egg. I am absolutly horrible with technology in general, but I understand the importance of its use in education. I can not wait to learn more about how to use computers and other technology in the classroom. This is gonna be a real learning experience.
So, that's alittle about me. Like I said, horrible with technology so I am really hoping this makes it to the right place, if not, I'll try again :)