Final Post

This is my final post for the technology class. It really has been fun this semester. I have learned a lot about technology and its uses in education. I think my class will be more engaging and enjoyable because I can now use my resources more effectively.

Critical Thinking of Web Tools

• Thinking Actively- This class has helped me to be an active thinker and how to use technology as an aid to my teaching. We don't have to use technology just to use technology but to enhance the learning of the students. I can really deal effectively with others and questions about technology.
• Carefully Exploring Situations-When we look at what we have done in our technology class we can really tell that we have explored many forms of technology and their uses for educators. WE learn how to carefully look at what there is to use and what tools will be most useful. I like the OTEN conference because it has really helped me to look at what we can use and how to use it effectively.
• Thinking for Ourselves- Now that Anita has showed us things like Web 2.0 tools and how to use the TPACK model in everything we use in technology we can use what will work best for us in our classroom.
• Viewing Situations from Different Perspectives- The OTEN conference really showed us how to look at things in other perspectives and to really think outside the box. I think using my web site to help the learning of the students has changed my view of technology. I think using it in the right way technology is very useful.

Evaluation of Tools

I really think that the best tool we looked at was google because of the many uses it has and can be really used in the class. The blog can also be a great tool to keep as something that can help in reflection and keep a journal of your class. All the other things like flickr, twitter, feeds, wikis and others are great if used right and you really take time to learn how to use them. There is so much on the web and tools that you can use in technology that you really have to be careful that you don't over use something. If all we are using is technology and really don't have a pedagogical reason for using it I think it really shouldn't be used.

Application of Tools

The tools that we looked at can really be used in many ways. I really can't wait to use the web site that I built in my class so I can see if it will be used in the right way and if it will do what I want it to do.

Learning

I have learned so much in this class and I really can't wait to use what I have learned. The best thing about this class is that it is very useful for my education and learning as an educator. I hope to use things in a proper way and to really have a reason for using the technology I use in my class. There is so much out there and it is always changing and new things are added daily. Since there are so much out there we really need to be active researchers and everyday be looking for things that will help us become better educators. I hope to never stop learning new things.

Goals

• Have my own class web site
• Always learn
• Use all my resources
• Have a reason for doing everything I do as a teacher and know why I do something
• Be a good teacher
• Always have fun

The class web site is the biggest thing I'm going to take away from this class. If I didn't take this class I probably wouldn't have seen how useful a class web page could be. I know I wouldn't have created my own web site for my class. Technology can be scary but it has become less scary for me since this class. I just need to take chances and not worry about failure.

AR Projects

PROJECT TITLE
Michael Barker's Class Web Page (click here to go to my page)


PROJECT DESCRIPTION
I want to make my own wiki page for my future class. I was going to use WetPaint for this project but they have stopped offering free ad removal for educators so I started to use PB works for my wiki website. After using PB works I finally decided that using Google sites would be the best spot for me. I like the choices that Google sites offer and I like the way it looks. I have decided to use this type of technology because I believe it will be helpful to me in my future classroom. I will use this web site to set up a class page that kids can go to and look up favorite web pages, class projects, their own blog, and pictures and videos. Some concerns to consider are having parents to be on board with this project. I want to make this a page that is safe for kids and let parents have peace of mind when letting their kids be part of this page. On this web page I have the ability to make anyone an editor and also can change any page I want. This page can be a great way to connect parents and students together and let the parents know what is going on in their kid's classroom.

RATIONALE -
A) TPACK
T – Technology- The reason I chose this technology is because I believe it will help in the development of the classroom community I want to build in my class. This web page page will help link me to the kids and parents. The kids will be able to set up projects and possibly personal blogs for a journal or just to free write.
P – Pedagogy- This project will build upon the students learning through collaboration between each other. I want this page to become the students own and where they can feel free to be themselves and have fun learning. They can do this through me helping them along or "scaffolding" to make the site something that will aid in their learning.
CK – Some children have trouble using technology and also sharing their ideas. The content in this page will help them use technology and share their ideas. The pages in this site will help them go through different subjects and they will have their own pages of which they can use it for what they want to.

B) NETS*T
I see this site aligning with the technology standards very well. The site will be used to access students learning through projects and collaboration. The site will also help teach the importance of security and safety when using the web. It is important to tell the students that with almost anything this site can be used for good or bad and we want to always use are learning for good.

1. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership-"exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others." The goal is to use technology in teaching and to make sure we are using it properly.

2. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility-"advocate, model, and teach safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources." We should always give credit where credit is due and we need to use things properly, which will be taught.

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning-"collaborate with students, peers, parents, and community members using digital tools and resources to support student success and innovation." A class web page main use is for collaboration and it will help parents get involved in student's learning.

4. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments-"design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." This web page is a tool that will promote learning.

5. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity-"engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources." This site will be used to do that when they use it for collaboration projects.

C) Background Research
Will Richardson's book and other educator web pages used in their classrooms played a big role in this project.
Anita's wikis used in this class have also helped me in this project.

PROCEDURE
I hope to have this Google site web page ready to go by the end of the semester. I want to use this page in my class when I get a job. This page will only add to the learning of my students.

DATA COLLECTION
I will be able see if my project is successful when I implement it in my classroom and the learning of the students is increasing because of it. The sites main purpose is to get children interested in using all resources available to them to learn. The data will be collected on the page in the years to come.


DATA ANALYSIS
The use of web pages for class pages have seemed to work well that I have seen. Choosing the right web tool to use for your class seem to be the biggest thing to consider. I like wetpaint but it has ads and I don't want to pay to remove them. I'm using Google sites which seems to be working fine and I hope that I make a great and user friendly web page. Kids like to see their work publish and this web page helps do that exact thing.

FINDINGS
I have seen web pages being used all over the web. The best ones are the ones that give the kids a lot of room to grow. I think wikis or web pages are great for parents and students to grow together.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
This project is great. I can't wait to implement this web page page in my future classroom. Many people are a little leery of using web pages because of security reasons and making sure that their kids are looking at proper material for their age. There are a lot of people that want to put the wrong material on the web and that is why I like Google because you can make a site that is secure from others and you can share it only with the people you invite. This is something that you can tell the parents that are worried or concerned about security on the web. The class web page can work as a great collaboration project and build community and learning of students. I think every teacher should have some kind of web page for their class and get the students involved in creating it.

PLAN OF ACTION
This web page will help learners and help me grow. I just need a classroom to lead. I can't wait to be able to use this in my placement. I think the parents will enjoy being connected to their child's education. This web page can help the parents give their opinions and help guide their students at home.

Last Session 12/5

I think everyone did a wonderful job presenting their projects. The website for your classroom would help out a lot I think. With a website you can link parents up with their children and their education. I like building my website and now that I have found new templates (Thanks Anita) I think I will continue making my website more user friendly. I think Google is the best web tool because it is free and has a lot of choices.
I wanted to thank everyone for their comments. I think they were all useful and I can use them to help improve my website. This was a great class and has helped me out tremendously. I can really use what I have learned in my future classroom. When you take an education class you hope the content and what you are taught is going to be useful. I know that with this class I will be using a big portion of the things learned in my class.
I will be student teaching in the winter and I look forward to see how my website is received by the parents.
Have fun this Christmas season:)

Online Class 11/14

Thank you for all of you that presented and sorry that Emily had trouble. I like the social aspect of all the tools and the ability you have to collaborate with other coworkers. I can't wait to see all of the other projects and to present mine. Have a good Thanksgiving!

Face to Face 10/24

This was a good time hearing about everyone's progress on their projects. I want to thank Anita for helping me with my website and it is coming along nicely. I hope to use it in the class I will be student teaching in. I have changed to PB wiki from wetpaint, which isn't as easy as wetpaint but I really like the site without the ads. I hope to continue with this project and make it a useful resource for my teaching career.

WetPaint Stopped Free Ad Removal For Educators

Just found out that WetPaint is no longer offering free ad removal for educators. In August they decided to stop and now it is about 20 dollars to remove ads. The educators that have already set up an account still will have ads removed but no more free ad removal for new accounts. I think I will start a new wiki somewhere else because the ads are messy and annoying (not really good for a class wiki).

Web Conf. 10/10

This was my first web conference and I kind of enjoyed it. I like that you can be at your home and meet with others to talk about education and technology. I think the other chapter presenters did a wonderful job explaining their chapters and helped me to understand blogs and rss feeds better. Thank you Anita for setting this up.