Kita's 23 ILPs

Many Favorite Things...United Streaming!

2008-05-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

As I reflect back at everything I have learned so far, I have enjoyed so much learning and growing from this MILP project- I will be sad that it will not continue but I am glad teachers can still participate in another technology event- I use United Streaming so much that my final blog post needs to address how wonderful it has been for me to teach with it- If I can get my act together- I believe that I will use more of the information taught to us! But I am using United Streaming to find video clips to use in class and these videos have generated great class discussions! Thanks for everything! MILP has taught me so much!

Thing #20 Podcasting

2008-05-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

How interesting it has been using a few podcasting lectures in my classes- I haven't done it live but I have recorded myself through the phone with a few of my lectures. I have a student who is on medical leave quite a lot and for his assignment I had him listen to the lecture notes and answer questions. I saw him again today (Monday) and he stated that the lecture helps more than just copying my notes down. I'm glad it does for him! Now I just have to do more of it since it has helped him. Can I saw "wow" again!

Thing #23 Del.icio.us!

2008-05-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

Can I cay Wow! Perhaps one of the best part of this project is using Del.icio.us! I'm done with bookmarks! I created my Del.icio.us site with information for all my classes- I can actually organize it and use it more effectively than my bookmarks! I have students coming in this week to work on make-up work and I'm hoping to show them some of the sites on my Del.icio.us site to help them. I believe this is by far the most organized I have been with my websites!

Thing #16 MnLINK

2008-03-07T05:35:00.000-08:00

Thanks for the great session on MnLink- I was happy and overwhelmed as I looked though additional resources for teachers. I've decided to create a website of MnLINK dedicated to giving students historical reading about the Harlem Renaissance and the Roaring 20s. From these collected work students will explore specific social, political and cultural pieces of society- we will spend 3 days in the lab with this activity next week and I will blog about how they use resources from MnLINK.

Thing#18: One Student Thing

2008-03-07T05:25:00.000-08:00

I am truly amazed at what our students can do with technology! I was helping Nancy Plagens out with the history day project as a judge and I saw two fascinating pieces of documentary created by students using iMovie-can I saw WOW! I am so proud of what great work students have done with technology-I don't know how to use iMovie but I would love to know if anyone knows how and can show me.

Thing #36 Social Networking

2008-02-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

I finally asked my niece to show me her myspace personal site and I have to say that I am very uncomfortable with using it as my social networking site. I don't want to expose anypart of myself in myspace, although my niece said that you can block and allow people on your site. What do other people think of myspace? After looking at niece's myspace site I didn't even want to explore Facebook!
I talked to my husband and found out that he uses a social network called "Linkedin" to network with his graduate classmates. They often shared ideas from academic readings, shared job announcements, and worked through projects together. This sounded much more like the networking I am interested in-
Am I just "out" of the social networking happening today?

Thing #28: Photos and Images

2008-02-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

My husband is a professional photographer and I have posted some of our travel pictures on my blog. He uses a site called pbase.com to host and share photos with people around the world. This is a nice site for people to look at photography and learn from each other- of course I am not a photographer, I often cut legs and arms off people I take pictures of so it was refreshing to see such professional work on a website!
I find that I like flickr- it is a nice site with so much- When I was teaching about Afghanistan, I uploaed a map from flickr and used it as well as other photos of everyday people in Afghanistan. Pictures make such a great difference in teaching!

Thing #12: Other Search Engines

2008-02-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

I remember my college days of learning about the internet and how often I used Alta Vista and Web Crawler as search engines before Google. Now with Google I seldom use Alta Vista or Web Crawler. I decided to use these two search engines to find information about development in third world countries, and I did find good information from both search engines. I realized that Lycos and Yahoo are similiar in what it has on the homepage: lastest news, search bar, pictures, Hollywood happenings,most popular searches, and advertisement butI find that Yahoo's hits are similar to Google. Alta Vista, WebCrawler and Google are similar with just a quick search bar, but it seems that different hits came up for third world development. Perhaps the great thing about having search engines is that students can have more options.

Thing #24: Online Gaming

2008-01-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

As students and I wrap up our unit on Global Issues, I was very surprise and excited that some of my student have learned or heard about the Darfur genocide. It is amazing how good discussion can happen if students have background knowledge about certain topics-perhaps you're thinking what does this have to do with "online gaming"- well most of the students have played an online game called " Darfur". I was surprised that there was such a game and wonder what it was all about-

I searched Google for online games and found the game called 'Darfur". It gives the player 7 characters to select, varying in age, gender- the task is to forge for water without being captured by the rebel soldiers. It was quite a tough game and I believe that every character I played was captured and taken to a government camp- I'm not sure how students did with this game but I am definitely not a gamer!

Thing # 8 Dribbling Lessons

2008-01-07T09:40:00.000-08:00

I don't really have students reflect on their projects, so I have incorporated the dribbling lesson of self-evaluation and peer evaluation in their project. For the freshmen class we talked about self- evaluation and what they would to to help improve their global issue project. I also included questions in their final presentation where they will reflect on their projects.

My juniors and I will go over the peer evaluation component of the lesson on Thursday as we have students present their work on Minnesota' s history. I took the worksheet sample from Leslie Preddy and I will adjust a few item on the worksheet- then I will make copies for students as they evaluate each other during their presentations. Also, each student will have to complete their own self-evaluation worksheet that I also took from Leslie Preddy.

I'm so glad that there's so much great lessons and worksheets for us to use to help with the research process.

Thing #21 YouTube and More

2008-01-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

I posted a blog about Youtube before but as I am using it more, I have to say that students have so much to say about teachers and Youtube:

-I thought we couldn't use it in school
-can we listen to a music video after this video?
-you have to pause the video and let it load for a few minutes before uploading it for us to watch
-I can't believe that my teacher is using Youtube!

I really feel uncomfortable using the Youtube website, because I'm never sure what will pop out as the most watched video- so what I did was create a blog for my class and upload the Youtube video form there- as Linda suggested to me, always do the prep work before you show Youtube- I'm not able to upload Youtube videos to my urban planet website- if anyone knows how to do it, please let me know!

I'm not sure if anyone has used TeacherTube, I find it more difficult finding video clips- I was looking for a video clip of Darfur but I couldn't find anything that I could use in class, I went back to Youtube and found a good clip which I posted here on the site. Perhaps TeacherTube is still fairly new and has less materials? I'm not sure!

Thing #7 Students Using the Research Calculator

2008-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Students are finding that the day to day reminders are helpful and they like the categorizing of steps- of course they fell overwhelm because they have to answer questions for the research calculator and my questions as well. I was wondering if there is a way for teachers to put the calculator on our website and add our own criteria on the calculator? Or is it only available through sponsored sites?

I would like to have students try to use it more often if I can add more information and requirements and adjust the schedule. I know one of our colleague did a great job adjusting their schedule, so I used what he did and created my own guidelines, but it would be great to have it online.

Thing #6 Research Project Calculator

2008-01-07T06:21:00.001-08:00

I find it helpful using the research project calculator. I'm doing a project on Minnesota's History in the 11th grade US History class and I used the calculator as a guideline to help figure out where to start. I like many of the probing questions and I appreciate the rubrics.

I'm having problems adjusting the research calculator to fit what I want to have done- it seems too general and I'm not sure if I would have enough time to complete what I need. I'm wondering if teachers feel the same way. I decided to use some of the reflection questions and a few of the probing questions. But then I went back to allowing students to pick topics instead of asking questions. I also wrote my own questions because I wanted students to have more specific guidelines.

The project is due today this week and I will share student's experience and project on one of my next blogs.

Thing #15 : Collaboration

2008-01-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for our PLC's collaboration with Linda. I feel that through this collaboration effort I have support and new ideas to share with my students. I will share a few things from my classes:
- students now use our reliable online resource website more often than before
-my students are now aware of Google and more reliable sources
-the cached button has proved very helpful for all, a lot of my SPED students use it as well
-research seems more like a part of our class now, before it was more of a problem
-students are finally remembering that they have to cite their sources.

In a small period of time, we have accomplished so much, thanks to Linda and our collaboration effort!

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

2007-11-20T15:37:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-20T14:50:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-20T13:18:00.001-08:00

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

2007-11-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

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?

Thing 21: Youtube

2007-10-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finally used Youtube! I was hesitant at first because my little nieces and sisters are always on youtube watching foreign films from South Korea or watching taped concerts of the hottest music stars and I felt that it wasn't educational enough for me. My colleague Steve Powers told me that he showed "shift happens" via youtube and I felt better-I remember thinking perhaps it has more than concerts and foreign films-

We were studying the war of 1812 which eventually lead to the Indian Removal Act. I looked for a video clip of the "Trail of Tears" and it was great! This clip showed how the Cherokee nation was moved west with a wonderful music score. I have posted the video clip from youtube on my blog-

I did talk to Linda and I like what Linda had to say... "the Internet is so big with so much stuff, remember it's your job to teach students how to find the educational purpose of the internet."
So, I guess instead of fearing the internet I can teach the educational purpose of it!

Thing #10: More on the discussion of plagerism...

2007-10-31T11:32:00.000-07:00

I was taught by teachers before the Internet invasion and I often live in fear of plagiarism in high school and college as well. Here were some comments made about plagiarism in my class:

-but I'm not really copying it, I'm just copying and pasting information
-I think it's stupid to punish people for plagiarising
-you're not learning if you plagiarize
-what's the big deal, everyone does it?
-it's about respecting the work of others, if you plagiarize you're not respecting them
-I think my teachers are just uptight about this business of plagiarizing

We had quite a lively discusion and I felt defeated by the end of the day because I don't think they left feeling that they understood the issue of plagiarizing. What mattered to my students was that they follow my directions and cite their sources to get points of course-

Thing #14 ROR

2007-10-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

On early release day, our PLC group met and decided that we would teach students how to use Reliable Online Resources. Linda has set up a wonderful web page: www.comosr.spps.org/ror with a plethora of ROR sites. I developed a research project for my US History class only using ROR sites. This was our second day in the lab and I can't count how many times I had to ask my students to stay away from Google.com- I explained that we will use Google.com for a different lesson as we explore how to "smart search" Google. It's amazing how addicted our students are to Google.com.

Linda taught me that some sites like ABC-CLIO will teach students how to cite their sources with a click of a button, other sites are more difficult. I think I need to do more work in my classes with citing sources. We had a great discussion in my class about plagiarism and the impact it has on education. I'll share more later...

Thing #4

2007-10-07T15:07:00.001-07:00

I read Lauren's email about public libraries and I agree that it's one of the most fascinating places in my life. We have a brand new county library in Forest Lake and I love physically being there as well as accessing their online resources. I was thankful to learn about ELM and other resources from public libraries.

I wonder if we can have access to other university libraries, like the U or Hamline? I know when my husband was doing his graduate work, he never left our home but was able to access all the academic periodicals and journals- I know a few years ago a colleague at Humboldt told me that we were able to access academic, peer reviewed journals through a purchased SPPS database, but I'm not sure if we can still access the database.

Thing #3

2007-10-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

I must have copied and pasted about 18 of my colleagues' blog on to my favorite bloglines. I made a mistake and set my profile up to receive additional blogs- OHHH what a headache it was to delete all the unnecessary blogs! This is the beauty and the pain of technology. Now I have only the ILP blogs and I'm finding that I don't like too much information.

I followed the directions of copying and pasting additional blogs from the Metromilli site. I know that we received an email about how to do it in a much more simple way, but as I imported subscriptions I noticed that my colleagues had two blogs on my blogline. I had to go and delete the additional blogs. I'm thankful for the learning experience.

This is a great technology tool but somehow I need to manage more effectively the information coming through my bloglines.

Thing #2

2007-10-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

lThis is my first time setting up a blog page. I have set up a web page in the past but I have long forgotten how to do so. I had fun creating this blog page. I'm sure as I learn more about blogs I can have students set up blog pages for class discussions. I did learn to add a picture to my blog.

I'm finding that it's fun changing templates and colors that I think I finally found a template that I like and have customized it in my own way . I remember this was the same problem I had when I was setting up my web page...maybe I'm enjoying this too much!

Thing #1

2007-09-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sitting in Kathy Dumas' CIS writing class in the spring of 1994, I wrote about how email was going to change the future of tomorrow. Now more than fifteen years have passed since I last analyzed technology in a classroom assignment. In the interim, technology has changed so much, yet I haven't had the opportunity to think thoroughly about its impact on my life or the development of my students. It's ironic that today I will continue to write and learn about technology as I attempt to navigate the expanse divide as a teacher and learner.

Apparently the standards of information literacy are now included as a part of the United States History course in St. Paul. I am excited to add these standards to address how students research, retrieve, and use reliable sources.