I loved going into Mr Johnson's class!  When we went to his class earlier this semester, it was really brief and I still had questions.  It was good to go in and have a good chunk of time to ask questions and hear other people's questions.  I got a lot more insight into his classroom.  I realized that technology is his passion, so he has figured out ways to incorporate it into his classroom.  A lot of teachers incorporate their passions into their classrooms, but it doesn't make learning more effective.  He has mastered the art of making technology a valuable asset in the learning process.  Although technology is a big part of his classroom, he also takes opportunities to  do things that don't involve technology.  So basically he is flexible and technology is not a must.

I really liked the idea of using a camera to take pictures of geometric shapes.  It is so valuable when kids are able to make connections between what they learn in school with the real world.  I especially think that it is hard to make those connections in math.  I think those kids will know there shapes better and longer than if they learned them off of a worksheet. 

There are several other things that he effectively used technology for.  For example:  Online calendar, blog, email newsletters, etc.  These were all very effective.

He mentioned something about using databases.  This is something I would like to learn more about.   He made a couple points about being an educator that were good.  One is that we need to use the summers effectively for preparation.  When we put the time in before hand, everything goes much better after.  Also he said that we as educators are here to teach kids HOW to learn.  

project based learning

• give students a problem that requires the skills to solve
• ex:  the project in the end is the students, the kids often want to make the effort to make it look good

Problem based

• teacher is facilitator
• open ended questions
• small groups
• ex:  go out find info, use it to solve problem (regurgitating info helps keep it in the noggin longer)

inquiry based learning

• directed by students' questions
• ex: content and processes kids need to learn
• what color is it, is it soft or bumpy??? etc
• county activity in Mr Johnson's class

WEB QUESTS

• online scavenger hunt
• work as a group
• focus on units
• instructional architect
• implements all three methods of learning
• 
  

I thought it was really interesting to learn about copyright laws! There are tons of things that I had never thought of. This class really opened my eyes to things that I need to be careful of! I would have thought that they would be easier on teachers than they are. At least they do give educators privileges not allowed for the general public. We still need to be cautious to use copyrighted materials in an appropriate manner. Still I feel like the laws are a little vague in areas, or it is hard to know exactly what the laws are in some situations. By sticking by the big four when I'm in doubt, I should be pretty safe.
It was also good to get a list of websites that I can use as resources. I do think Copyrights are kind of a funny thing. Who would have thought that Happy Birthday would be under Copyright!?!?

These are a couple notes I took in class about the different copyrights.

Copyright: Tm (not registered) R (registered)

Fair Use:

purpose and character

nature of copied work

amount used

effect upon work's value

Trade Mark

Creative Commons

open office

flikker

Fair Use

10%

Today we discussed Instructional Architect. There were several things i really liked about this website. Instructional Architect is useful for finding valid resources. I find google really irritating at times. It is good to know that there is a site specifically useful for educators with loads of valid information.
It is also a great way not to have to duplicate work. There are millions of teachers out there that probably do the same things all of the time. This is a great way to be able to use other people's ideas, even if they are across the country. I'm glad to be learning about these resources that I wouldn't have even known were there!

UEN will be really useful as a teacher. I love that parents can get on and look at what is going on in my classroom. The pool of lesson plans is one of the best that I have seen. It is really organized and user friendly. I can see it as being very useful in making lesson plans and keeping parents informed! I feel like i just barely tapped into how much UEN can be helpful and how I can use it.
This week I went into the classroom of Mr Johnson at Edith Bowen lab school. He has had some special funding and has been able to buy ipods and other technical equipment for his classroom. It was awesome talking to him about how he uses technology in the class. Not only that but also how parents are catching on to how technology like ipods can be used educationally. It is not only teachers that are a generation behind when it comes to technology it is also the parent of our students. They will have the same apprehensions as we are likely to have about technology. He said that he has parent catching on and buying audio books and educational movies for their kids ipods. Whereas originally they were afraid to give their kids ipods, because of the negative effects they may have. I think we, as educators, need to be constantly finding ways and teaching our kids how to use these things as an educational benefit!

This podcast has some ideas on how to teach music in the classroom.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/EdtechMusician

This podcast gives good tips for writing and is presented in a pretty fun way.

http://www.qdnow.com/grammar

Last week in class I got some ideas of how to use wikis and podcasts in the classroom.  They were both pretty foreign to me, but since then I can see how they can be helpful.  I liked some of the ideas we got on how to use wikis such as to collaborate with another class on a project without everyone having to be in the same room.  Wikis would also be useful in working with other teachers to create lesson plans.

After talking about podcasts, I asked my practicum teacher if she uses them in her classroom.  She replied that she didn't, but that there is a teacher in the school that uses them a ton.  Each of his students have an ipod and he is doing a study on how they can be effectively used in the classroom.  I am interested to find out more about it.  I haven't had a chance to meet him yet, but hopefully will soon.  I think podcasts would be useful in demonstrating tasks or assignments for students, so they'll be able to see it at home as well as in the classroom.  With this kind of tools learning doesn't necessarily have to take place in a classroom.  Lectures can be recorded and watched at home, especially for kids who miss class.  I think that I could use these materials as a means to helping my students study another subject, and make a project out of it using podcasts or wikis.  

I am still uncertain of how exactly I will use these in my classroom, but my mind and eyes have been opened and now I am looking for ways that they are being used now., and getting ideas for how I can use them.  

Last week in class we watched a group presentation on the importance of using the technology that is available as a teachers. We all want what is best for our students and technology can be a powerful way to help them in the learning process. It's our responsibility as educators to be familiar with the technology that is available. We also need to constantly be learning and improving the way we use it in the classroom.
We also learned how to use blogs as an information source. I made my own blog. I was surprised how easy it was. I think blogs can be useful in getting ideas for lessons, discipline, learning from other teacher's experiences, etc.