Updated Technology Biography

I am such a HUGE fan of integrating technology!! I have learned so many cool ways to enhance my lesson plans! My favorite would probably be the photo stories! At my current placement we are getting ready to put our research on immigration into narrative diaries by using photo stories! The students were super excited about this technology and CAN'T wait to use it!!!

I feel so much more confident in incorporating technology in my lessons! I feel that I now know how to actually use the technology in order to enhance the lesson, not just for the mere fact of having technology in them!! I know understand the use of wikis, blogs, pod casting, photo stories, and much much more!!!

Choose your tool

Dear Dr. Finch,

I am very excited because I have learned of a new tool in my technology class that could be integrated into our content and curriculum in the classroom. Students love using technology and really enjoy having the freedoms to research on the web. There are times when google can be an iffy tool but students want to be independent and look stuff up on their own. The tool that I have learned and researched about would be awesome for the students that still want freedom to explore but are being guided at the same time. The tool is called Trailfire.

Trailfire can be used to guide students without them being restricted to just one site. The site is used to guide people and in this case our students to relevant information on the web. For example if I wanted my students to research on immigration. If I were to give the students free rein most of the students would choose to google "immigration". With this tool, I can find reliable, relevant websites that provide the information that I am really looking for and tag these sites for my students. This allows students to sift through information that I have given but they still have the freedom to choose what site they will use but with the suggestions of myself.

I think that this tool would be very beneficial for all students in the school. Many times students have a hard time deciphering whether information is reliable or not. I believe that some students feel that all information on the web is reliable but in reality it is not. I would love to share my knowledge of this new tool with the other teachers in our building. This tool could enhance the learning of students and teachers in all content areas if used appropriately.

Thanks,

Michelle

Podcasts

I'm very excited about using podcast!! As I was reading the chapter on podcast...I found myself oohhing and awwing at some of the great ideas!! I am currently in a 5th grade classroom and social studies is our main emphasis. The students LOVE using technology and what better way to get them engaged than having their own radio station!! I defiantly want to try doing a podcast out before implementing it into the classroom but I can't wait to bring the idea up to my mentor teacher!! The students could do mock interviews, update us on our current studies and really be creative in their studies!!! So far I'm really liking the ideas of podcast!!

Digital Story :o)

I really enjoyed doing the digital stories in class!! I am actually working in a fifth grade class and the teacher is very technology savvy. The students LOVE doing digital stories...the first day I was in the class ALL of them wanted to show me the many different stories they had created!! After I used Windows Movie Maker...I decided to try downloading the digital story maker from online. I LOVE LOVE LOVE digital story maker SO much better than windows movie maker. It is so much easier to record your voice and just easier over all!! I am really looking forward to incorporating digital storytelling in my own class and in the class now!! It's a very engaging way to enhance students learning!!! I linked my digital story on here...feel free to watch...:-)