Blogfolio

#1 Introduction Video

This was the first assignment we did in IT 365. Before this class I had used youtube to make and upload videos, but I never had to upload the video to an actual website. I came into problems uploading the video because at first it would read as ERROR that the video couldn't play, then the second time, the video sound would not play. I solved the first problem by using a different format of video. The second problem I fixed by actually turning off the mute on my computer....yes a rookie mistake. This is a great assignment to use in classrooms not only for students to introduce themselves, but it gives them another outlet to express themselves in their work. For example, if I were to give my students the assignment to describe a certain scene in history, my students can film the scene and act it out for their peers. Another way to use youtube videos in a classroom is if I am ever absent from class, I can record a video of myself teaching the lesson, then have the subsitute play the video in class. This way the kids aren't just doing regular activities that bore themselves. I felt like this assignment delt mostly with NETS-T standard number 3 letter c which states: communicate and model digital etiquette and responsible social interactions related to the use of technology and information. It met this standard because we used youtube videos to communicate with our peers and our teacher to relate information about ourselves. 

#2 TED videos

The TED videos followed standard NETS-T 1b. This standard is engaging students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources. The reason I chose this standard is because we used digital tools like videos to listen to people talk about real world issues in the education system and how we as future educators can stop those same issues from reoccurring. I never really ecountered trouble with these videos. I would definitely use the TED videos for future help in my teaching experience and apply what I learn from the videos to my classroom. 

#3 Concept Map

I felt like the concept map definitely met standard 2 which was Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments. This project met this standard because we designed a map for a lesson that integrated technology into the classroom. I had several issues with the program we used called inspiration. One problem I encountered was all of the tools we were able to use. It was hard to navigate my way throughout the program and realize what I did and did not need. It took practice for me to figure out how to fix this. I also had a problem with watching videos that I posted on the concept map. I had no clue why to be honest. One day it didn't work, then the next day it did. I would definitely use this in my classroom because it creates lesson plans that help me view what I am doing. I am a very visual person, so this helps keep me focused on what my goals are. 

#4 Do Not Track Me

This project falls under standard 4 which is to promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility. It's helps with digital citizenship because it can show computer uses who is tracking what they are doing online and if they should be worried or not. I never encountered any problems with this service. I do not think I would worry about using it in my classroom because I have never really found a reason to download it because I rarely found any one tracking me. And if I did, the most users I found tracking me were three unlike others where I've heard of 30+ people tracking them. I would introduce it to my class to let them know that there are programs out there that help with keeping what they do on the internet private and safe but I would not make it a necessity.

#5 Augmented Reality

Before this class, I had never heard of augmented reality but I definitely learned a lot from it. It is an app that can pull up videos and other learning resources by encountering other resources. This is being used in classrooms everywhere! When I downloaded the app, I encountered the problem where when I would look up information, it would not give me much. It's a great concept and idea but I feel like I'd have to buy the more expensive version to get the information I actually needed. However this is a great idea and concept. I feel like this program would fall under standard 1 which states to facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity. 

#6 Voki

Voki allowed us to create virtual characters that looked exactly like us to introduce ourselves to parents and our future students. It followed NETS-T 1, which is to facilitate and inspire learning and creativity. By creatig our own virtual teacher for our classroom, it can be classified as a virtual environment. The Vokie website at first can be a little tricky to learn how to use if not guided by step by step instructions. It was difficult to add certain actions and figure out where to type in the description at. But playing around with the website and learning a little more about it, it will be easy for one to pick up on and learn from. Another problem I ran into when using this website is figuring out how to put the Voki on my webpage and make it work. After asking certain people, I finally figured out that it is because the embedded code needed fixing. This website offers a new way of conncetion and commuication between others and different people. I might not use this tool in my classroom, but if I have a very diverse group of adults or parents who will never be able to come by my classroom, using this Voki character will be able to give them a better since of what I look like and who I am if they ever need it. 

#7 Web 2.0

I would say that we used NETS-T standard 3 which states collaborating with student's success and innovation for this assignment. We used examples of how to use different sites to our peers and gave them ideas on how to incorporate those ideas into our classrooms and how we would use them in our lessons as well. This helped us open our eyes to other different sites that are out there that can build a better working enviroment and better tools for us to use. The only problem that I found with this assignment was that alot of websites were the same and had the same basic idea behind them. I would have rather had a shorter list for everyone to choose from because after figuring out that there are three or more concept map sites, it gets boring and there's no more newness. I would definitely use what I learned in this activity into my classroom. There were many sites presented to me that I would definitely use in my classroom to help me expand my teaching horizons. 

#8 Online Safety Website

Before being in this class, I had never created a website before. But I really enjoyed and respected that the first website we were required to make was about online safety. I based my website on cyber stalking and learned alot more about cyber stalking than I knew before. One major problem I encountered though is not having enough time to make a decent looking website. I only say this because I came into the class with no website building experience so it took me longer to figure everything out. Another problem I had was figuring out google calendar. I felt like it was a hassle to figure out how to put the calendar onto my page. There were several steps that had to be done to put it on there. To fix this problem, I asked a fellow student for help who was able to guide me step by step for making it appear on my website. I would definitely use this for my classroom one day! It can be a great tool for students to create their own websites on any subject I choose for them to do it on! I would only use it for older ages though and possibly fifth grade. I am not sure if I would use it under fifth grade only because it would take a while to teach those younger students how to use it. The standard I think this assignment met was 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning because this is a way for teachers to connect to students and parents using technology.  It is also an opportunity for students to become involved and better understand technology and how to use it to communicate. 

  

#9 Movie

This was my most enjoyable assignment in the whole class! It was a way for me to express a certain story that was all my own! I think this assignment falls under NETS-T 2. Design and Develop Digital-Aged Learning Experiences and Assessments because this was an activity where we incorporated technology as well as creativity into one lesson. Before this assignment, I had used moviemaker before this assignment and love using moviemaker. It is a very simple tool to use and it creates amazing pieces of work. The only problem I had was figuring out how to save it to upload it to the blog. I also had a problem with posting it to facebook because the song I used was a copyright issue unfortunately. I would definitely use this program in my class for my students to use to make my lessons more interesting for them to learn better. I could also use it to teach lessons in a more creative and interesting way. 


Final Reflection

Before coming into this class, I hardly knew anything that had to do with technology websites and such. But coming out of this class, I have learned many things that I know will help me with my classroom management and how to improve the teaching. Learning how to make a website and web 2.0 assignments are the biggest things I learned from in this class! Both assignments I know for sure will be used in my classroom and will help me with building a better working environment. My weak points are probably figuring out how to put certain things on my blog or website and make them work. I still have issues with figuring out how to do that. another weakness I have is not knowing deep stuff to a computer like troubleshooting and the mechanics of a computer. One day I might need to know stuff about the deeper sense of a computer and won't know what to do at all. My strong points would definitely be movie maker and concept map. Those were my two most favorite projects and what I was best at because I was able to be the most creative. Another strong point I have is remembering exactly what websites are and their names so I can find them again. One day it will come in handy if I don't write a website down to remember how I found it or how I can find it. To improve my weak areas, all I can do is just play around a little more with the computer really...there's plenty of ways to figure out how to fix a problem I have with a computer but it takes researching, patience and practice. I definitely plan on integrating technology into my classroom! I won't necessarily use everything we used in class but I did learn of a lot of great programs out there that can expand my teaching experience and make a better learning environment for students that's fun and exciting. This could be showing my students a certain video on a subject or doing online quizzes that are quick and easy. I would not necessarily use e-Portfolios and blogs with my students but I definitely think using e-portfolios and blogs are great ways for teachers everywhere to connect with one another and share their ideas and thoughts on subjects, share tips on how they manage their classroom, etc. 

Technology in the classroom (from advisees) (blog #27)

This article discusses the term SAMR which is short for substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. The model is used for technology and learning purposes. It also goes into more detail each one. Substitution is where you can compare the technology being used now to what was used before technology. Augmentation is using technology in place of using a simple task or method. Modification is using technology in the classroom for classroom tasks and situations. The last one is redefinition which talks on behalf of technology being used for all circumstances. This model is a good model to describe technology to students and how society has developed with the use of technology but I don't see any other reason for it than that.

The article also talks about LMS which is a learning management system. What we use here at southern miss as our LMS is blackboard. LMS allows students to connect with their class and professor using different tools. I have used blackboard for a while with different classes and have only posititve things to say. It's a very simple tool with many benefits. Incorporating LMS into a classroom will allow more feedback between other students and teachers, allows students to view their grades quicker, and has plenty of resources for projects.

Educause sprint 2013 (Blog #26)

This article talks about M00Cs which are massive ope online courses. M00Cs are becoming very popular in schools and colleges. The article discusses why higher education is changing and why universities and CI0s need to start thinking of new ways to teach students. Doing M00C learning takes away from the face to face interaction between professors and peers. But there is good to M00C. Feedback is almost immediate using the program. It also allows students to interact with other students around the nation and the world that use the program. Another incentive to use them is because they're free! What student will deny the chance for a free course where they can work at their own pace? M00Cs is a major change to how universities and higher education works. 

I believe that with the way society is going, M00Cs will become very dominate in the next 15-20 years for higher education. I believe that every student works in different ways. I personally like the fact that I have to go to a class to learn because it actually pushes me to learn. If I was on a M00C program, I would get lazy and hold things off till the very end and possibly never pass. But that's because I have not been adapted to that learning environment yet. For others, I know that they love programs such as this because of the fact that they can work on their own time frame. They have the self motivation to do that which I do not possess. I do believe that the younger generation will be brought up to enjoy programs like the M00C and the idea of classroom education will go out the window. 

Common Core in Action: How two science teachers are implementing common core (Blog #25)

This article discusses how teachers are able to take two different kind of learning lessons and fuse them together to "knock out two birds with one stone" kind of mentality. One example the article talks about is Katie Abole using science and literature. Abole taught an upper level science class and integrated science and writing together by having her students write an argumentative essay on biofuel and fossil fuel. Christopher King did a similar kind of lesson when he used ninth and tenth grade content to have his students write an argumentative essay for nuclear power vs. fossil fuels. Doing this type of integrating helped students open up in a more academic discussion and was a positive experience for both Abole and King.

This article is definitely one that I feel all educators should read and discuss on. Teachers are freaking out with this whole new Common Core system because it's different. No one likes change. But these two teachers prove that with a little practice and planning, you can knock out two birds with one stone. That means that yea, it seems like there is alot to cover with the CCSS, but it actually isn't that hard at all if teachers just dedicate themselves a little more and think outside the box. Reading what both Abole and King did even gave me an idea for my classroom whenever I start teaching.

Evolving classroom education (blog #24)

Having technology in a classroom is becoming a bigger need than it has been before. Students are being told to bring their technological devices to class instead of being put away. This is because students are more interested in education when technology is involved. More initiatives for technology are being put into place and some classrooms around the U.S. have a "one tablet per child" program where obviously each child receives one tablet to work with in the classroom. Teachers are encouraged that they need to adapt to this new learning environment fast because that is what the future of education holds. Teachers are encouraged to find new ways to use technology to teach.

This article is right on point on how I would want to teach my classroom if I had one right now. Using technology in a classroom definitely lets students have a little more opportunity to learn and be interested in their learning environment. The only speculations I have are what if a student uses the technology for things such as texting and Facebook instead of what I am teaching them. I feel like there needs to be a program in place to help with this issue by controlling what students can and cannot access in the classroom.

21st Century Skills (Blog #14)

President Ken Kay of Partnership for the 21st Century Skills wrote a book called Enriching Minds for the 21st Century. Kay discusses and explains why the education system of America needs to be changed into a system more acceptable for the 21st century. One point Kay discusses is that the world is changing technology wise. Blue collar workers are being replaced and the global competition and collaboration has been accelerating over the past 30 years. Kay's second point is that schools and students in the U.S. are not adapting to the changes of the technology society. He brings up the point that students are losing interest in school because of the old fashion ways they are being taught. He brings up the point that testing is not creating a good foundation for students for the competitive nation in the world. The students are not being taught to the expectations of the society.

The way Ken kay talks about how school systems need to hop on the 21st century band wagon is right on point. Students of today are being brought up in a technological society where technology is the basis for their learning. In classrooms, teachers need to use technology a little more to teach children. I like that he points out that what our american school systems are learning needs to be a little more demanding than what it has been in the past. No matter what background students come from, teachers should be able to make class fun and interesting and be able to demand a little more from their students to grow the level of education in this nation.

Kids Can't Compute -- And That's A Problem (Blog #23)

This article gives great explanation on why young people do not REALLY know how to use technology. All of the younger generations generally only know how to use apps and the general basics of technology. We grow up in a nation where adults think that the young generation knows everything there is to know about technology because we grow up around it. The reason that's wrong is because we learn the basics of technology that we want to learn. The reason this article thinks it is a problem is because they say that it's not confronting people with the need to be creative in building solutions. They say to fix this issue is, younger generations need to be educated a little more on technology and what runs the technology. The article says that by the time kids graduate high school, they should be able to build a PC, troubleshoot networking issues, and at the very least be able to run a web site.

I understand that technology is becoming a very important part of today's society. But I do not agree with everything this article talked about. So what if students aren't "being creative in building solutions". Telling society that everyone should be able to build a PC and etc. because of technology becoming so popular in society is just like saying that someone needs to learn the basics of cooking because society has to eat. There are people that are more than qualified in the basics of technology that people can go to for help with these issues. I don't find it a problem as much as this article does. I feel like there are bigger issues to deal with in this younger generation socially than how much they should know about technology.

A conversation with a 'Bad' Teacher (Blog #22)

John Owens was a publisher for a magazine for thirty years before deciding to go back to school to become a teacher. He figured out that it was not all that it was cracked up to be when he found a "dark side" to the school administration and the American public education system. In an interview with Hana Maruyama from Education Week Teacher, he spoke about how he quit after a year of teaching and his experience teaching at South Bronx. Owens talked about how the worst thing he experienced was realizing that the school was more worried about passing students for their own good instead of the students well being. He tried his hardest to give students a passion for learning and the fact that he couldn't change a students view point in one class period classified him as a 'bad teacher' in the eyes of his peers. South Bronx was a school system where students came from awful home backgrounds. Owens would try to bring up positive programs and activities for the students but all of his ideas were turned down by the school system. After one year, Owens realized that in that school, he would never win no matter what. He also realized that even though people think that teachers have it easy, they really have one of the hardest jobs on the planet because they have other peoples lives and education in their hands.

Before reading Owens post, I already knew that there were school systems out there with the same mentality as South Bronx. It's teachers like Owens who have the guts to speak out on the subject and make others realize that there truly is a problem. But when people like Owens speak out, why is it that nothing has really been changed? Hopefully with the new Common Core Standards, it will help schools actually care a little more about the well being of their students. Yes, there are plenty of students that will be difficult and not want to learn or even refuse to learn. But does that give a teacher the right to just give  up on that student? I feel like it has been sociably acceptable to treat students like babies if they just don't want to learn. They still need to be pushed but it takes dedicated and skillful teachers to make change like that happen.

movie maker (blog #21)

Web 2.0 (Blog #20)

Madison 
 * Mindmaster: concept map based. NOT FREE. You can make a slide show of your information. It can center around the bubbles to focus on one topic at a time. 
 X Spiderscribe.net: free trial is not beneficial. Another website for concept maps. You can insert word documents. This is used for older adults due to the visual aspect. Not age appropriate for teaching.

 Erica 
* bubbl.us: Free. Same as inspiration. Used this same website as an activity for inspiration. 
* lino: Free. Post notes and calendars. Can post pretty much anything. There is an app for this.  

Madeline 
* photobucket: A combination of instagram and pinterest. You can edit photos and post them. You can sign in with Facebook. 
X Quintura for kids: Not the best search engine. A search engine for kids.  

Callie 
X DuckDuckgo: search engine for kids. Includes a filter option. Lets students search the internet for reliable resources. 
X Gogooligans.com: keeps safe from online scams but barely works.  

Rebeccah 
  * Padlet: It's like a board where you can post notes and have students comment on the notes you put up.  

Brittany 
 X stormboard: too much going on. I like the voting option for kids. Too small for notes personally.  

Ally 
X kidtopia: library database. Safe google search. Not very specific and there are untrustworthy adds. * Instagrok: mixture of concept map and search engine. Middle school level. Great site for info and journals and quizzes! 

 Victoria 
X slimekids: site that shows different kinds of search engines and websites for kids. 
 * wikisummarizer: wikipedia organizer  

Tommi 
 * pearltrees: combination of pinterest and a concept map. You can select a category or website. Might take some time to figure out to be useful. 
X netvibes: just like pearltrees but not as creative. Dashboards to hold your thoughts and ideas. Extreme google. Keeps your info on a subject in one place.  

Mary Katherine 
 * glogster: can make alot of timelines or portfolios or assignments. Different things for you class. Very useful! 
*audacity: a site that helps record anything.  

Lauren:  
X Vimeo: It's like youtube where you can upload videos. 
X wordpress: you can follow different blogs

 Diana 
* evernote: it's a really good search engine. Holds all your notes plus more! Really cool to look into. 

 Nicole 
 *compfight: free download. Download different sizes of images. Find a reliable image. Kids can use this site to take photos and use it legally in their projects. 
X diigo:have a library with any information you want. You can share the clouds with friends and others. You can create a group of certain people and talk about whatever you want. 

Emily
X blabberize: cut out the mouth and make it say anything you want it to say. You can record audio for the mouth.
* easelly: themes of information! love it! 

Brittany
*animoto:  it's a slideshow type deal. Can only last for so long time wise.
Bookbuilder: create your own book. you can select a grade level and language 

Tiffany
X edmodo: you can create a classroom and have students in the group. It has the same general idea of facebook where you comment on different posts 

Jacquline
* socrative: free, easy for the class to join, create your own quizzes and tests. It allows you to go in and tell you who got what write and wrong. 

Johnathan
X podbean: podcast and upload videos. Seems useless for elementary classes
X Pixton: comic strip website

Jennifer
* iCloud: can download apps. some are free some are not. It connects with all apple products that you have. It also has a free word processing tool. You can do spreadsheets and gradebook. 

Amanda
infofr.am: you can create different charts with different material.

Website (Blog #19)

https://sites.google.com/site/beyoubutprivate/

Voki (Blog #18)

Ways to Stop Bullying in Schools (Blog #17)

I feel like starting off at very young ages to promote non bullying is more affective than starting out at older ages. However, I plan on working with older kids and have a few ideas on how to control this situation. From the get go, I will make it known to my class that there is a no tolerance for bullying rule. If I find out that they are, there will be consequences. The way I am going to help friendships throughout the classroom and create diverse relationships, is getting to know the kids first in the class and after a few weeks assign groups with kids I think will get along with one another. I will switch the groups up every other week that way everyone can know everyone. I feel like there can at least be one person in each class that someone can be friends with.

If it ever got to an extreme point where I felt like one or more students were getting bullied way to much, I would intervene with a bullying presentation. I would bring in different videos and stories from older students about bulling that I know would make a difference. I feel like teachers can make a big difference on if there is bullying or not. I don't think teachers realize the effect they can have on a group of students who bully other students. Yes it takes time but it's worth the help in the end to build better kids of character. And yes, sometimes kids can be overdramatic and make it seem like they are being bullied, but no matter the situation, it is the teachers responsibility to watch out for every student they have.

Cyberbullying is another type of bullying that teachers have to watch out for and help. This may not be as common in elementary schools as it is in middle and high school but there are students that are cyberbullied everyday. The reason cyberbulling is so popular is because it is an outlet for hate while also being a coward at the same time. If a teacher finds this to be a problem in their classroom, I would hope that they would have some sort of "workshop" that relieves the situation and builds better friendships.

Augmented reality snags a coverted spot in classrooms (Blog #16)

Summary
Augmented reality is a new teaching device where students can learn through their phone or tablet. It's a new and exciting way to teach now. Students really like this process because it is real life materials in their hands that they are learning from and can actually get out of their seat and explore.One teacher describes how he has used the new technology to teach students about different periods of war, by breaking parts up and having them piece them together in order.

Opinion
I believe that augmented reality is an okay technique to teach children with. Yes, it is so great to be able to say, "Grab your phones for your lesson." But what if they're not doing what they're supposed to on their phone? What if they are playing candy crush or texting friends instead of listening to the lesson? If there was a way to control the temptation of social media and texting and games in the classroom, then I don't see a problem with this teaching technique at all.

Five Essentials to Creating Connected Students (Blog #15)

Summary
The article talks about how students of today are using more and more technology to learn. The author believes that teachers need to step up and actually teach their students how to use technology or it's going to be pointless for them to use it. Social media sites can be a great tool for students in the classroom. but until they know what a twitter or blog is, how will they be able to use it? The author discusses five essentials for well-connected students. 1) Being connected in appropriate ways. 2) Publishing their academic works. 3) Know how to converse on the web. 4) The ability to know when to put down their devices and focus on the real world. 5) Pursuing new things.

Opinion
I agree with the author to a certain degree.Yes, it is important to teach kids how to use technology. But teachers should not spend too much time teaching on it because most students already know the basics of the internet and social media websites. I remember when I was younger, we had no idea what social media even was. But kids that I tutor or go observe know exactly what a twitter and facebook are. I think we should stress more importance on how to use teachnology and social media sites safely instead of doing step by step instructions on how to use a computer. 

Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results (Blog #13)

 Summary
Using an old fashion tradition, such as strictness, works to make kids do better in school. The new conventional system is a gentler approach with new ides such as projects and collaborative learning. However, Joanne Lipman thinks otherwise and thinks that there is nothing wrong with memorization and pounding information into a child's head. There are 8 principles that try to prove why the conventional method is wrong. They include: A little pain is good for you, Drill - baby - drill, Failure is an option, strict is better that nice, creativity can be learned, grit trumps talent, praise makes you weak, praise while stress makes you strong.

Opinion
In a sense, I agree with some of the opinions while others I disagree with completely. And the principles I do agree with, I agree to a certain level. Do I think that we need more discipline in schools? YES! There are way too many kids that are being brought up to be lazy and have everything handed to them. That's just what America is teaching society these days. Sometimes I even feel the laziness of society in my own school work. I believe that once the class enters the room for the first time, you have to have a more strict persona about you than normal so that they know they are in a classroom that takes learning seriously. Then gradually along the way become a little more silly and goofy. It's worked with me when I teach color guard for band or dance teams, so I assume it would work with children as well. I also believe that America doesn't teach kids well enough that it's okay to fail. I believe kids are raised to think that success is the only option to rise to the top and be a great student. I completely disagree because unless you fail, you never learn. And kids don't quite understand that. I also believe that if you give TOO MUCH praise, then yes, the child becomes weak. But I've grown to learn that you must give credit where credit is due. If I tell a child to fix something and they do, obviously I will give them positive feedback. But if they fix it and it's not correct and I see that no effort was put into it, then I will call them out on it and ask how they can make it better. I believe the article has some good, strong points. But in today's society, those points can be stressed only so far.

Don't Track Me review (Blog #12)

When I first tried to download Don't track me to my computer, I used firefox and it wouldn't work. I then tried to use it on google chrome and it worked. Once I downloaded it, I went straight to Facebook because that was what I was most curious about. I was thinking since Facebook is such a popular site and so much information is included on it, that trackers would be everywhere. To my surprise, I didn't have many people tracking me. Only three at most. I then tried Google thinking that people would want to know what I search for. Surprisingly I only had two trackers. I'm not sure if I did this right or not since I only had a few trackers follow me but it is nice to know that there is a program out there that lets me know that there are people that follow every step I take on the internet.

Inspiration comments (Blog #11)

Erika -I like how she started with reviewing the important concepts of the book and the bulletin board idea. She just needed to be a little more confident.

Jackie - Very confident in her concept map. Not much negative.

Mary Katherine - I loved the activities she had planned for her kids.

Jennifer - I like how she uses videos from the library. I like the short story activity and how they get to dress up. This would be a lesson for 4th and 5th graders.

Amanda - I thought the millionaire game was a very smart idea and activity to use. It seems kind of confusing the way the activities are planned. It seems like there's not a good flow.

Jonathan - Like the Pearl Harbor video. I like the statistics he used for the atomic bomb exercise.

Concept Map - Hurricane Force (Blog #10)

Activites with the book Hurricane Force by Joseph Treaster

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

I.  Have students read important parts of the book.

http://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-Force-Americas-Deadliest-Storms/dp/0753460866

We will not be able to read the whole book, so I will give them certain pages to read in class that talk about important events that happened. This saves us time and also lets me give them the knowledge that they need to know. Doing this will also help with class discussions.

A.     small group discussion 

                        -Important fact

                        -What they would have done

         -How can they help after a hurricane hits

B.    Class discussion on what small groups talked about

II. Multimedia presentations

http://www.youtube.com/

The purpose of this activity will be giving kids a clear view of what a hurricane is like and what they can do. Showing video presentations will give them a look at what a hurricane can do. If I am teaching up north, this will definitely help since not many hurricanes hit there.

A.    Youtube presentation on Hurricane Katrina

http://viewpure.com/-Kou0HBpX4A

B.    Youtube presentation on Hurricane Sandy

http://viewpure.com/YeutC1WN6dc

III. Personal stories from hurricane survivors

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec05/survivors_9-12.html

The purpose of this activity is for students to hear one on one experiences from deadly hurricanes.

Have kid’s pre write questions they want answered by presenter.

A.      Have students write out questions they want to ask the presenter before he or she comes so

that he or she has an idea on what to speak about.

B.      Ask any left out questions after presentation   

IV. Have Kids research a hurricane assigned to them.

http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/usdeadly.asp

The purpose of this activity is for the students to explore different types of hurricanes and find one that interests them and research more in depth about it. The students will be able to find out about why the hurricanes were so deadly.  This will also open their eyes to what to do when a hurricane approaches.

A.    Teach a lesson on how to research using the library and online resources

B.    Have the groups present their information.

1.    Presentation of facts.

a.    Posterboard

b.    Computer presentation

2.    Act out a story.

V. Do experiment on hurricanes and how wind speed affects wave height.

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/hurricane.cfm

This activity will be able to give the kids a chance to learn how hurricane winds affect the amount of wave pressure. It will help the students have hands on experience about hurricanes.

A.      Have students bring in the necessary materials.

-          9" 13" baking dish

-          Flexible straw

-          Duct tape

-          Water

-          Ruler

B.       Have students work in small groups.

-Having the students work in small groups will give them the opportunity to enteract with one another and solve problems together.

The Padagogy Wheel V2.0 (Blog #9)

The Padagogy Wheel at first was very confusing to me. After looking at it though I had an idea of how I would use it in my class. For example, if I ever want my kids to Evaluate something, they will go to the evaluate section of the wheel and use the action words that are given to describe what they are evaluating. Then it gives me a list of activities to do to help them evaluate. The wheel is very useful because it gives teachers an organized tool to use in their classrooms so that kids can create, understand, apply, analyze, and evaluate.

Blooms Digital Taxonomy is also a useful tool because it gives key terms that make sense to the teacher but then it gives sections of other words that are good to use for the children. Some students will not be able to know what analyzing means. So then you can use this tool to use other words that will help.

Safe Practices for Life Online (Blog #8)

1.      What are three online social networking sites that are used to form connections and develop relationships online?

-          Facebook

-          Twitter

-          Myspace

2.      Consider the consequences.

-          There are several good and bad consequences for using social networking sites. One good consequence is that you are able to keep up with old friends, new friends, family members, etc. You are able to keep up with their lives, stay informed with what’s going on, and immediately comment on posts if needed. Another good consequence is that social networking sites are now used to post job opportunities since so many people use it. There are also several bad consequences though. One of those is that students starting out on social networking sites are sometimes unsure of what to post. Some students post too much information about themselves which then makes them an easy target for predators. For college students, another big consequence is that of what they post if they’ll find a job or not. If a college student posts too many drunken photos, or has very inappropriate things on their social networking sites, many employers will not hire them. People can also be arrested for what they put on social networking sites. WRAL news report from North Carolina wrote a post on a student who contacted a young lady and threatened to knock out his ex girlfriend’s boyfriend on Facebook. He was then arrested for the post.

3.      Define:

-          Sexting: Using technology to send and receive sexual messages including words and pictures.

-          Cramming:

-          Cookies: A cookie for a computer remembers information for you and saves it in your browser

-          Trojan horse: Programs on your computer that can destroy it. They come in forms of games, disc utilities, and antivirus software.

-          Phishing: These are people that try to steal personal information through online sources. They pretend to be a company and scam you.

-          Spyware: Program that can tract a users personal information including credit card information, passwords, usernames, etc.

-          Rootkit: This is a program that allows regular people to sign on to any computer as the administrator to the computer.

-          Zombie: This is when a computer is hooked up to an internet source that has already been hacked and is then infected with the viruses.

-          Source used for these definitions was http://www.techterms.com/

4.      Why are these screen names poor choices?

-          All of those screen names give a very immature and disgusting connotation about them. If a teacher, employer, or even friend saw things such as Pig and BoogerDude, they would automatically judge negatively about the person.

5.      Why might someone harass those with these screen names?

-          When we go out in public, we judge people on the way they look. When I see a girl that wears clothing that’s very provocative or a male that dresses with guns and marjana leaves on his shirt, you can’t help but judge them negatively. This is the same for screen names such as IMAHottie and suPaFlirt. They give a very naïve, immature, and easy view about the person using the screen name. That is why harassment could happen because of how easy a person makes themselves look.

6.      What info is being revealed through the following screen names?

-          Tom_Evans34 is too much info because it says the name of the person which is too much info to give out. Missy-13 is still bad because even though it doesn’t give her last name, it still gives a name to go off of and the 13 can either be how old she is or that she graduated in 2013 and is about 18 years old. AndyKarateKid is telling a hacker that this persons name is Andy and he does karate. So if the hacker is local, he could stalk any karate center and find Andy. ViolinGurl seems to be okay but not the best because they know she is a girl and likes the violin. She also spelled girl wrong which can give the hacker the impression that she’s dumb or ghetto. Restlinmatch to me seems okay because I’m not able to get any information that’s personal out of it.

7.      Write whether you think these are good or poor choices of user names and why.

-          i8sushi2: bad because it gives me an immature judgement on the person which hackers might also think and use against them

-          soccerstar: good because there is not enough personal information to go off of and stalk

-          puppygirl1234: good because there is not enough personal information to go off of and stalk

-          KeKe1995: bad because it gives the name and possibly year of birth of the girl

-          Bookworm: good because there is not enough personal information to go off of and stalk

-          2BorNot2b: bad because it gives me an immature judgement on the person which hackers might also think and use against them

-          Choco-holoic: bad because it gives me an immature judgement on the person which hackers might also think and use against them.

-          CapitlOfens: bad because it’s pretty much saying this person is a capital offender

-          AmrcanIdol2: good because there is not enough personal information to go off of and stalk

-          BellaIsabella: bad because it gives the name of the person

-          DarkAngel666: bad because this gives a future employer a very negative connotation about the user

-          Karla-Love-1996: bad because we know it gives her first name Karla, but her last name could also possibly be love and then 1996 gives us a possible birth year

-          SimplyMe: good because there is not enough personal information to go off of and stalk

-          gUn4hiRe: bad because I personally would not want to “hiRe” a person with this screen name

-          babyfaceLA: bad because we now know where babyface lives

-          Watup?: bad because personally I think this is a very immature screen name because it gives people a invitation to talk to them. Any stalker could use this against them

8.      Three Different screen names:

-          Ndoarj777

-          Jtayyy_4592

-          Rolyat_572

9.      How likely is it that a password can be cracked?

-          A password can be easily cracked if someone doesn’t follow the guidelines that were given to our class in the packet. But if someone followed the guidelines, it would be unlikely that someone could crack it. My score was 11 which I thought was pretty decent.

10.  Most common reason: Students write their password down where others are able to see it. This is because I know on my computer, I have my passwords written down on the desktop where others can see it and sometimes I even write them on sticky notes and leave them somewhere. I feel like a lot of students do this.

Least common reason: Other students see the password as the student enters it on a keyboard. This is because passwords come up as *** when put in so it would be hard for a student to see what they put. And if they’re sitting that close, it would be easy for the student to look next to them and catch them in the act.