Twitter
Well what can I say. I was not a huge fan of twitter until about a year and a half ago when one of my teachers required me to get twitter for a journalism class. I thought it would be pointless and I would not be interested. But since I like keeping up with friends in other ways I decided I would actually "get into" twitter and start following people. I am so glad I did because twitter is a great source to keep up with friends, family, icons, or just anything you are interested in. It does have a lot of humor to it as you are only given a certain amount of room to type, but thats what makes twitter so different from all the others. I am glad I got involved in twitter and think that the uniqueness of only being able to add a certain amount of information in the best part about twitter. It is also a very secure sight for classrooms. I probably wouldn't use this in an elementary classroom for myself, but high school students could use this to find assignments if they missed a day or just be expressive about themselves through social media. It gives the teacher a picture of what the student is interested in and possible writing skills. But hey follow me...@jrideno5
Delicious
I had never heard of delicious before this class. It was a little more difficult that I thought it would be but I can tell it would be a very helpful source for a classroom. Through typing in different ideas and what the site had to offer, it can link you to anything in the world that you chose to type it. I checked out some recipes and some teaching websites to see what they had to offer and they were very helpful and reliable websites. I think delicious would be great for a classroom because teachers can bookmark certain websites that they think will be helpful while teaching a lesson and pop them up right on the page. It is also a good way to show students how easy it is to find out information for things such as research papers or just topics the class is trying to cover. Overall it is confusing at first but could be very useful in the classroom.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Scavenger Hunt around Campus
This is a scavenger hunt of the colors around the UT campus! Lots of colors and lots of fun!
Smilebox and Storybird
Smilebox is an application that is geared towards creating posters, cards, and a variety of designs. Smilebox has a ton of different options for students to choose from whether it is sports, graduation cards, get well cards, or classroom activities. Students will find this useful because they are able to include their own personal pictures or pictures they find online. They can arrange the photos in the order they prefer and add music to make it more entertaining. Smilebox would probably be best for older elementary and above because it requires lots of time and for students to include their own pictures.
Storybird is a much different application than Smilebox, but is still very easy to use for teachers, students, and others. It provides a blank template with a variety of options to choose from to form a creative story. The students could think of an idea or the teacher could create one and give the students the opportunity to add photos that they find interesting or use the ones provided. Creating personal stories is an exciting way for students to express themselves. Teachers could easily assign this as homework for students to complete throughout the week and have all the students present at the end of the week. Being able to provide words and follow a sequence is also a huge benefit. I like that is it easy to use and has easy access and already provides ideas so students can get their creative juices flowing.
http://storybird.com/books/big-belly-billy-hears-a-sound/?token=4e49cu
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| A digital slideshow by Smilebox |
Storybird is a much different application than Smilebox, but is still very easy to use for teachers, students, and others. It provides a blank template with a variety of options to choose from to form a creative story. The students could think of an idea or the teacher could create one and give the students the opportunity to add photos that they find interesting or use the ones provided. Creating personal stories is an exciting way for students to express themselves. Teachers could easily assign this as homework for students to complete throughout the week and have all the students present at the end of the week. Being able to provide words and follow a sequence is also a huge benefit. I like that is it easy to use and has easy access and already provides ideas so students can get their creative juices flowing.
http://storybird.com/books/big-belly-billy-hears-a-sound/?token=4e49cu
Glogster and Picnic
These two applications are very beneficial because students have many different options when making designs. I like that students can include pictures and make things different sizes in both applications. The fact that they are free and can be easily downloaded to any computer will be helpful in a classroom because students will have easy access to explore different ideas. I know that through my experiences with these I liked that there were lots of color and the steps to use were very easy and would be easy for younger students. Being able to give students the opportunity to express themselves through their creative side would be a great asset to any teacher because it allows students to be individuals.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
WebQuest
Being able to actually anaylze and see the different arrangement and setups of the webquests was one of the most interesting part to me. Each webquest was different and set up to fit to the information provided and who would be viewing it. I liked the ones best that gave a good amount of information and were easy to access. I like that webquests were all different. I like that it was very individualized and there were different amounts of information for the specific topic.
I think webquests would be a great assest to any age classroom. Giving students the opportunity to explore and create their own site is a big bonus. Students need to have the chance to be creative and express themselves through their information they use. I like that students can have easy access to other webquests and the teacher can provide many different examples to the classroom on the setup and how things can be organized. Overall it would be a great tool for a classroom to give assignments that are easily accessible through the internet.
I think webquests would be a great assest to any age classroom. Giving students the opportunity to explore and create their own site is a big bonus. Students need to have the chance to be creative and express themselves through their information they use. I like that students can have easy access to other webquests and the teacher can provide many different examples to the classroom on the setup and how things can be organized. Overall it would be a great tool for a classroom to give assignments that are easily accessible through the internet.
Wiki
I have really enjoyed working with Wiki so far. I had never worked with Wiki before so the ability to work together with people without ever seeing them was a new concept to me. I really like that other people can go and edit and change information. As I have gotten to add information, it is very easy to access and add new things. To edit information is also very easy and all the tools associated with Wiki are easy to use. It is very quick and it is set up so that it meets the need of the user so that it can be adjusted to what works best.
I have been very impressed with Wiki and would definietly use this tool in my classroom. It gives students the opportunity to connect with other classmates outside of the classroom. Since I am elementary, I could give students a project or assignment to complete at home and students could contact each other for help. This also gives the teacher a way to access students outside of the classroom by answering questions and providing examples. The teacher can also edit any information that needs to be corrected. It can also be used in the classroom to connect students who may be on different computers but need the same information.
I have been very impressed with Wiki and would definietly use this tool in my classroom. It gives students the opportunity to connect with other classmates outside of the classroom. Since I am elementary, I could give students a project or assignment to complete at home and students could contact each other for help. This also gives the teacher a way to access students outside of the classroom by answering questions and providing examples. The teacher can also edit any information that needs to be corrected. It can also be used in the classroom to connect students who may be on different computers but need the same information.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Scholastic Website Evaluation
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/teach.jsp
Scholastic is a well-known site in any school in America. What Scholastic is known for is their books. This website surprised me because it provided much more information that just information on how to purchase books. The website gave tools and tips that would be helpful for teachers, parents, students, administrators, and librarians. I like that it gave lesson plans, recommendations, games, and other useful tools that could be used in any type of classrooms. This website could be easily accessed by students in the classroom to help with reading or to find materials for the classroom. I would highly recommend this website because it can be used in any type of setting and meets the needs of a variety of individuals as well as providing materials and resources.
I think this website would be helpful as a teacher because it lets parents and students be involved outside of the classroom. Reading begins at home and continues after the school day is over. As a teacher, I can encourage students to access this site for games and reading material that will continue the learning at home. I think that it connects lesson plans with books and resources that are easy to access. I know that books are an item in every single classroom. Books are essential to every subject so using a website that includes information on books is very beneficial. Overall I think this would be a huge help for me as an educator because it provide connections inside and outside of the classroom.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Website Evaluation Tools
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
The Evaluating Websites from the Library at UC Berkley is very beneficial because it is used to evaluate books, internet sites, and journal articles. This website provides a guide for rating the curriculum content on web sites and a guide for rating the design of a website. It provides different examples of evaluations tools and how each site is viewed. It provides links to other sites that offer information on website evaluation. The study focused on two essential questions which are to train your eye and your fingers to employ a series of techniques that help you quickly find what you need to know about web pages and to train your mind to think critically, even suspiciously, by asking a series of questions that will help you decide how much a web page is to be trusted. It is helpful because it gives the reader specific examples of what to analyze and focus on while doing an evaluation.
The Evaluating Websites from the Library at UC Berkley is very beneficial because it is used to evaluate books, internet sites, and journal articles. This website provides a guide for rating the curriculum content on web sites and a guide for rating the design of a website. It provides different examples of evaluations tools and how each site is viewed. It provides links to other sites that offer information on website evaluation. The study focused on two essential questions which are to train your eye and your fingers to employ a series of techniques that help you quickly find what you need to know about web pages and to train your mind to think critically, even suspiciously, by asking a series of questions that will help you decide how much a web page is to be trusted. It is helpful because it gives the reader specific examples of what to analyze and focus on while doing an evaluation.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Expectations
My expectations for TPTE 486 are very high. I have heard great things from several of my peers of how beneficial this class was. I am eager to learn new things about technology that I can incorporate into my classroom. I think that there are some new things that I need to learn in order to stay current and provide my students with the most up-to-date technology. My students will be exposed to this technology whether I know it or not so it is important for me to help them with different types of technology and how to use it.
I am very excited to see how different things are created and how this class can affect my teaching style. In my presentations, I use the normal powerpoint. Through this class, I am excited to see how I can use different technology that is out there in order to improve and provide a new style of teaching. Overall I think I will learn several new techniques, shortcuts, and ideas that will provide my students will new and exciting ways of learning.
I am very excited to see how different things are created and how this class can affect my teaching style. In my presentations, I use the normal powerpoint. Through this class, I am excited to see how I can use different technology that is out there in order to improve and provide a new style of teaching. Overall I think I will learn several new techniques, shortcuts, and ideas that will provide my students will new and exciting ways of learning.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Informal Bio
My name is Jordan Ridenour and I am from Alcoa, Tenn. I have wanted to work with children since I was in high school working through vacation Bible school and various activities. There has always been a strong connection between me and children. This was re-emphasized when I worked at a Christian children’s camp in Texas and my eyes were opened to the exciting life of working with children. I have received by B.S. in Communications with a focus on Journalism and Electronic Media from UT in May 2011. I will be working towards my graduate degree in elementary education this fall. Through graduate school, I will be student teaching at Ridgeview Elementary School in Roane County. I love working with technology, but struggle with knowing short cuts and staying current. I enjoy being able to learn new things and see how technology has changed in just the last few years.
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