Thing #5: Create and Maintain a Teacher's Web Page

I remember being trained in Urban Planet two years ago-and how frustrated and confused I felt after the session. I put off creating my Web Page because I left the session not knowing how to even login- I appreciate our last session at Como with Leslie. It was so helpful because she had our usernames ready and all I did was create my password.

I'm so amazed at how quickly I learned how to create my website just after this first session with Leslie. I quickly caught on with everything Leslie presented and how easy it was to create this website. I did tell Leslie and Linda that perhaps my skills have improved through this MILP project and blogging!

Thing #11: All About Google

Okay- so I did learn more about Google- our PLC group lead by Linda went over some very important information about Google-

Here are some helpful tips:
-teach the students what is a domain
- as students research through Google, have them look at the domain for .edu, .org, .gov, these domains will give students more reliable information.
-students can use the "advance search options" to help narrow information
-many of our students do not want to read a full page information, you can teach them to use the Cached option next to the link to organize information to make reading easier
-students can also use * to ask Google for an answer- the civil war started in *
-Google also have so many options- I used the calender option to schedule an online meeting with a professor at the U- as an undergraduate student before the growth of technology, I had to make a phone call!

I will post more info about Google as I learn more- my students will do a research project in December using ROR sites and Google- I will blog more about it.

Thing #9: Streaming Videos

Away with buying DVDs- we now have streaming videos-how neat to have so much curriculum just a click away! I have heard of united streaming videos from my colleagues, Kathy Herrema-Johnson and Linda Wise, but I thought we had to take a class to use it. Linda helped me submit an email for a username and password and within minutes, I was on my way looking through streaming videos!

I found a video about the trials of Nazi perpetrators during the Holocaust- I know that students have heard of the Nuremberg Trials but they haven't heard of the American trials in Dachau. It was only 20 minutes long which was perfect for class discussions afterwards. If I can post this video on my blog or urban planet website- I'll try!

I feel so enriched by all the technology available ! After 9 years of teaching I've never felt better about how I teach, what I teach and how to use technology in the classroom! Thanks for allowing us the opportunity to participate in this program- MILP has converted me to use a variety of technology in the classroom-

Thing #13: Subscription Databases

The session lead by Karen regarding subscription databases was fantastic! I feel that I have learned so much more about the databases available for teacher and student use. I think I need more time to go through additional options provided by the databases- I loved the clickable maps from Grolier and EBSCO. The multimedia options from Gale-Discovery is also great for my Geography class. As always Proquest is a winner with its current articles. I will continue to use the databases and blog more about my experience as well as my students' experiences.

Thing #20 Podcasting

Leslie was at Como on Friday teaching staff about podcasting. I think it's a really neat recording lecture notes or having students use it for projects. I hope to learn more from Leslie- perhaps we can have some more time at our Wednesday meeting devoted to having teachers demonstrate how they use podcasting in class.

I will write more about Podcasting when I use it in the classroom.

Thing #17 One New Thing: Moodle

On our staff development day, I took Moodle training from my colleague, Pete Grebner. I found out that the district has discontinued using Blackboard and replaced it with Moodle. It is a neat program- apparently it offers more than urban planet. Some of the unique things about Moodle are:
-Students can take quizzes and Moodle will grade it for staff
-teachers can create interactive programs such as crossword puzzles, diagrams
-teachers can post all curriculum units on Moodle and "hide" certain units until students are ready to access the units
-students can use Moodle to participate in classroom discussions
-most colleges and universities are using Moodle

Thing #18 One Student Thing

I'm finishing up a couple of basic research projects for my classes and it has been quite an adventure. I am wondering if teachers are finding that the initial idea of research is difficult for students because they are so use to having "instant answers" at their fingertips. My students do not want to read research-they want quick answers from the internet.

Perhaps they grew up understanding how quick technology is today. They can text message very fast, multitask by eating, surfing the net, and listening to music as well. They complain about waiting for Grolier to retrieve information. They want to access the internet quickly and want research to be instant, without reading.

I'm know my students are excited about technology...but I feel that they're losing out on the wonderful world of reading and using their imagination. I know there has to be a balance but how do we do it?