The information that was shared in the Hardware/Software how to buy part of our assignment was very interesting! In the past I put a lot of credence into a teacher's recommendation when purchasing hardware or software. With the knowledge that I gained when checking into the "how to buy" sites, I realized that the camcorders that I purchased (recommended by a teacher) were not the camcorders that I should have purchased, and that there were options out there that would have suited our needs better. I learned something - take recommendations but don't take their word on it! Check it out yourself and make sure you purchase something that fits EVERYONE's needs. We are in the process of purchasing educational software, and I will definitely share the "How to buy educational software in sixty seconds" link - that's about all the time my teachers have to look at something I send them, so it needs to be short and sweet!
The rubric portion of our assignment was also very useful. After reading the recommendations, I took a rubric that I had used in the past and changed it. I am very satisfied with the rubric now, where in the past I felt it was lacking something. I used it, but I didn't feel comfortable using it. Now, I feel very satisfied with it, and will use it (with a little tweaking) for different presentations in the future.
I have to share my experience with my 4th grade Library class. We started studying biographies, and they are creating a biography of one of their classmates. We have gotten to the phase where we need to choose what format the biography is going to take. They have created a few power points in the past, and were asking to turn their bios into power points. I showed them my Prezi, and they were so excited! We are going to take their information, and the pictures that they find or take to support their biographies, and turn them into Prezis. It's fun (and exciting) to expand their horizons. I know how they feel - I feel the same way when I'm introduced to a new tool or software.
I recently also shared with my SS7 class ToonDoo. They took a current event and had to create a 3 paneled cartoon which showed their position on it. They loved it! And this was so much more creative than a written paragraph or a quiz proving their knowledge. You could see right away what they took away from our discussion, and if they based their position on fact or emotion. They were so excited!! This has been a great class, not only for me but for my students!!!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Every week that goes by seems to be filled with new information, work, and a new outlook on technology. I can't believe how much we learn in one class and when it's over, I always take a huge sigh of relief. It has been a lot of homework, but I don't think I have ever learned so much in this short amount of time. What a great experience. It's great that everything we learn applies to what we do in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteDenise,
ReplyDeleteI am going to look closely at the buyer guides for the MP3 players because I am looking into purchasing one as a Christmas gift. I hope those are as helpful as you found the others to be. Do you find that your students like when you create a rubric for them to follow? I find them very helpful and it's been nice to have them for our assignments for this program. And I really like your biography project with your 4th graders. It's great to read they are excited to try Prezi for the project too. I think they will have a lot of fun with it.