EXCEL 's Many Uses...

I would use the smart board along with the Excel spreadsheet in many different ways...

1. In the morning, I would have the lunch choices listed on the Smart Board. Each student would come in and enter their choice(with their clicker). This would allow the teacher to take attendance and lunch count at the same time- Along with this- we can see the "trends" of favorite food choices to graph for math.

2. I believe in having a "Morning Meeting" everyday to help the kids get in the right frame of mind for the rest of their day. As a part of this activity, I would use the above mentioned system for asking a question of the day- Something that makes the children think about how they are feeling today, issues going on at school, ideas, problems, etc. The question would pose a yes/no/maybe type of answer that the students would submit/via clicker- and we could see how the class on the whole responded. During our meeting we could use this to further discuss the "why" to the answers received on the spreadsheet. Since the answers can remain anonymous, the kids can feel safe with their answers, but may also see that other people feel the same way.

3. Use an Excel spreadsheet to create a timeline- this can be done using clipart pictures to show what the youngest student does each day (wakes up, brushes teeth, etc) or you can use it for the 3-5th graders for a time line of their lives and compare them to how different their youth compares to another youth from a different historical time. Older students can use this to get a feel for major events throughout history.

4. I found an awesome game called "Shopping Sprees with Spreadsheets" You are told that you have just won a $1000 shopping spree- but there is a catch- you have to spend between $995-$1000. If you don't- you lose it all. If you spend exactly$1000, you win an extra $500. The catch is that you use a spreadsheet to calculate what you spend. I would definitely use this in a Math or a Computer class. The site is http://www.ncwiseowl.org/kscope/techknowpark/FreeFall/ShoppingSpree.html

A variation of this can be used based on your curriculum needs.

5. Working in Learning support for the past 5 years, I have seen many types of Behavior Plan Folders that the student carries with them. I would use an Excel spreadsheet to document- and even have the child document behavior for all teachers/parents to see immediately. There would be no more excuses for leaving the folder behind and if parents did not have access to a computer, the teacher could simply print a page with the data to send home on a weekly basis. (Or whatever suits the situation). The child knows their behavior is being documented as such and this may act as a deterrent to bad behavior. The teacher(s) have information at their fingertips and can use this when completing IEP's, report cards.

I hope you can incorporate these ideas into your classroom!

Social Bookmarking-My views

I think Social Bookmarking is a great way to keep a groups' ideas at your fingertips. It is almost like a library of you favorites that can save a lot of time. Individual Elementary schools can have their own site to keep lists of sites that would benefit them and their curriculum. Teachers can use these for their classrooms not only to give students places to go for information, but to show them how easy it is to use such a device. I would use a social bookmarking site to access reference sites, math, reading, and any other topics that may be covered in class. The students can learn how to add to it throughout the year and make it their own! I think this could be as important a tool as learning to research information through an encyclopedia (the paper kind!!!).

I chose diigo. The address is: http://www..diigo.com/user/pauladoc

Come visit anytime!

Two Lesson Plans using Google Apps

Graphing with Google Docs and Forms is the first Lesson Plan I chose. It is for K-3 rd graders and is used to learn more about each other while gathering and interpreting data. The teacher creates a sample question form, using Google Form and convert it to a LIVE Form on the day of class. The students will completed the previously brainstormed questions from class and create graphs to help to "quantify" the data. The ISTE standards are: 2a.; 3b.and d.; and 4c

This plan can be found at: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddv49vkt_13vwgvzxhm

The second Lesson Plan I chose is the Historical Novel. This is for the older students ranging from 4th to 9th grade. Students use various Google Apps, such as Google Blogger, Google Book Search, Google Docs(word processing/presentation, etc) to gather information from their peers about the time period, the setting, characters, main idea of an historical novel. This can be used for a Social Studies or Language Arts classes, as there are so many variations that can be adapted to your specific goals. I think this is great way to "spice up" what may be a very boring project for some students. The ISTE standards are: 1a.,2a.,b.,d.,3a.,b.,c.,4a.,d.,5b.,6a.,b. This can be found at: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddv49vkt_3d986mbc9

Google Apps in the Classroom

I was amazed by all the innovative things you can do on Google Apps. As a Learning Support Assistant for the past 5 years, I have seen the LS Teacher go crazy year after year with writing up IEP's (Individual Education Plans). She would go back and forth with the Speech Teacher, Counselor, and homeroom Teacher, trying to collect data and information. It would take her hours, if not days, of trying to get all the information together in one document. This past year I believe, the school has purchased such an app( or created one) such as the Google app's because now , she is able to look at the document on screen, and share her updates with everyone- they can also add to the document. What a time saver!

Google apps could also be used as a behavioral tracking device with students- if the teacher assigns a calender to a specific student, everyone that needs to see his behavior for the hour, day, etc can see his progress- they can also keep this as data for IEP meetings to show parents progress or setbacks.

It is a great tool in the classroom as well. I like how students can track progress during a science experiment or any project and keep each other updated on their individual progress. This would also allow teachers to view the progress of the group as well as each individual, to see that they were all doing their share. Graphing can be used in math as well as science, reading projects could take on a whole new dimension with music/pictures/videos that the students can incorporate and share with the class.

I believe teachers would be so thankful for many of the apps available(if they would take the time to learn).

R/W Tools

What are some of the R/W tools you learned in the readings that you didn't know about? What is Google Docs? Did you ever use it?

Well, pretty much all of them! Only since I began an online course, three weeks ago, did I BLOG, and two weeks ago, when I started this class did I know the term for what I was already doing. From the article, however, I have learned about, and bookmarked, some very interesting sites that will empower me as a teacher, such as online rubric construction, online graphing tools and podcasting in the classroom, to name a few. Now that people are using the web for both retrieving information and submitting information, the sky is the limit for those teachers willing to take the time to reinvent creative classroom instruction.

Google Docs, according to WIKIpedia, is an application offered by Google, where a document is housed and is accessible to those who have been linked to the document, for collaboration and editing purposes. I have never used this, however, I can see how it would help teachers, and others to work with each other without having a ton of emails going back and forth. There is a great Youtube link to watch, that explains the rationale behind GoogeDocs, for people like me...called, Google Docs in Plain English. Check it out!

Net Genners Language

How does my perspective differ from students today, who have grown up with technology all around them? Or are they the same?

Being a 40 something, mother of two (one being a 14 year old), my perspectives of the world and technology are completely different. I didn't notice it much until about two years ago, when my son's Scout troop would send emails about upcoming events, and since I only checked my email about once every two or three weeks, yes, I did say weeks, I was kind of out of the loop. Then I bought a new computer that ran faster, and we signed up for high speed internet. It didn't take long for me to become "attached" to my new iMac. I began taking grad classes and I actually feel almost competent on the computer. I know that I have a long way to go, but I am beginning to feel comfortable with this new language. My son and 10 year old daughter get frustrated sometimes, when I do things that aren't the quick and easy shortcuts they are accustomed to using. I still cannot text, and my kids laugh at my messages when I try, so I feel detached from their generation. One thing I can say is that I am willing to learn, not only for myself, but for the students that will one day be in my classroom. If you cannot talk their language, how do you expect to reach them?

The "Net Genners", on the other hand, can not even comprehend a world without technology. But I was extremely glad to see, in the chapters read, that the kids do not want a completely technology based classroom. It was refreshing to find out that they want technology used as a tool, not a substitute power point lecture, to enhance a teacher's knowledge. They want to see enthusiasm from the teacher and the teacher can use technology to reinvent why he or she began teaching in the first place.

In conclusion, I guess the way technology is used by the net generation and the way I use them differ tremendously, but our perspectives on why and how we CAN use them are about the same.

Views on Digital Natives and the Net Gen. Do they learn differently? How do you feel about these new concepts? Are they radical or do they make sense? Explain.

Being a 40 something Digital Immigrant, I have to say that both names given to these tech savvy youngsters are very ingenious. I especially like the analogy used about the Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants. I have a distinct accent of being an immigrant, on many levels. (Including the fact that I am probably not posting this information in the right place!). My eyes have been opened to a new way of thinking about my 14 year old son's constant texting! More than that, though, I have a new appreciation for the youth of today and I am excited to learn their language. Digital Natives and the Net Generation learn differently from any other students through history, and in order to keep them motivated to learn, we, as teachers, must learn their language and incorporate technology and the "hands on" experiences in the classroom. I was still delighted to see , though, that students wanted a 50/50 split of lecture and technology in school. They still derive the social interaction of a motivated and passionate teacher that can also deliver the information with technology and not by technology alone.

I believe to the older folks, these ideas are a bit radical, as well as very intimidating. The research, however, says it all. The Net Gen/ or Digital Natives are wired differently than my generation was. I have a friend who teaches Nursing students, and she has confirmed that the surgeons of today are unbelievable with their hand/eye coordination, because they grew up during an age of video games. She said it is just amazing what they ca do without looking directly into the patient.

I certainly hope I can assimilate myself into this new culture, so I can motivate my students to be the best they can be without them catching on to my many "accents".

First Blog

I am very excited to learn about technology!