TimeGlider

For this activity I signed up for the free version of TimeGlider to create a timeline on the history of the election of US Presidents.  Creating this timeline was very quick and easy.  First, I  chose a title and start date for my timeline.  Then, to add the different dates I wanted on my timeline, all I had to do was click "new event" and a box popped up to add the event, description, and date/time. 

I think TimeGlider would be very beneficial to teachers when presenting information to students in a chronological order.  This would especially be helpful in a history class.  These timelines are a great visual tool.

I believe the ISTE NETS standards for this activity are 1, 2, and 3.  This digital tool is a creative and innovative way to present information to students.  It it a great tool to address the needs of visual learners.

You can view my timeline here or see it below.

Grade Your Resume

For this activity I took the resume I created earlier in the semester, which can be viewed here, and uploaded it to RezScore to be graded.  Uploading my resume was very simple, I just chose the file from my documents and clicked "get your rezscore." 

My RezScore grade for my resume was a C, with it being in the 53rd percentile.  My brevity score, which measures conciseness and length, was a 52.  My impact score, which measures effectiveness of language, was an 80.  My depth score, which measures the amount of information, was a 49.

One of the suggestions the site gave me to improve my resume was to make it longer and add more depth to my work experience.  They also suggested removing the objective, and adding a professional headline instead.  These tips are very helpful, my resume is pretty short since I've only held three jobs, but I can add more details about the responsibilities and accomplishments from my work experience.  RezScore is a great tool for anyone looking to improve their resume. 

I believe the ISTE NETS standard that best fits this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because your are using a digital tool to analyze and evaluate your resume and improve it.

Photostory

Using Microsoft Photo Story 3 I created a PSA on cyberbullying. The software was very easy to use.  First, I imported my pictures and arranged them in the order that I wanted to tell the story.  Next, I added text and sound.  Finally, I saved my PSA as a Windows Media File.  I was then able to upload my video to my You Tube page. 

I really liked this activity.  I think it would be a great way for teachers to give a presentation to students, or to teach them how to make one on their own.

You can view my PSA on my You Tube page here or see it below.



I believe the ISTE NETS standards for this activity are 1, 2 and 3, because whether it is the teacher or the student creating the photo story, they are using their creativity along with a digital tool to present information to others.

Loop a You Tube Video

Looping this video was pretty simple.  I started by doing a search on Google to find out how to loop a You Tube video.  The site I clicked on suggested adding "&loop=1" after the video ID in the address bar.  I went into my new blog post and clicked on "insert video" and then selected "from You Tube".  From there I did a search and found the video I wanted.  After it embedded the video I clicked on the "edit html" tab at the top of the blog box and added "&loop=1" after the video ID.  My video is now on a loop in my blog post above.

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because you are presenting information with digital-age media.

File Converter

For this activity I used Bender Converter to download and convert a You Tube Video.  The site was very easy to use.  All I had to do was paste the URL of the video and choose which format I wanted it to be converted to.  For my video, I converted from a flv format to a wmv format.  I chose the wmv format because I wanted to be able to put the video into a PowerPoint presentation.  I have never inserted a You Tube video into a PowerPoint, so I researched the best way to do so.  Most of the results I found suggested the wmv format.  After downloading and converting the You Tube video to wmv format I was able to insert the video into PowerPoint by simply clicking "insert movie from file" and choosing the file. 

Being able to convert a video to a different format is very important, because the video you want might not be available in the format that you need it, such as for a PowerPoint presentation.

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because you are using a digital tool to present information to your students.

Appropriate a You Tube Video

For this activity we were asked to save a You Tube video onto our computer.  I wasn't sure how to do this so I started by going to Google and searched for ways to save a You Tube video to a computer.  The search led me to Freecorder, which is a tool you can download for free that allows you to save video, audio, and even convert files.  Once you download, a toolbar is inserted into your browser.  It is very easy to use.  I simply found the video I wanted on You Tube, and then clicked the You Tube button on the toolbar.  This opened a window where I was asked to paste the URL address of the video and click "NAB".  Once I clicked the button I was asked how I wanted the video saved.  I saved my video to my computer in FLV format.  The video was also very easy to post into my blog, all I had to do was click "insert a video" and choose it from my list of downloaded files on my computer. 

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because it involves using a digital tool to  locate and present information.

Jeopardy

Using Jeopardy Labs, teachers, parents, and students can create an online game that could be used as a review for an exam.  This is a really great tool for teachers.  The process of making the game is quick and simple, and the format can be used for any subject.  It is a fun and interactive way for students to study for a test.

Here is a link to my Jeopardy Game on Earth Science.

I believe the ISTE NETS standard that best goes with this activity is: 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, because the teacher is incorporating a digital tool as a means of assessment.  The assessment promotes learning as well as creativity.

Prezi

For this activity I created a presentation on the dangers of smoking using Prezi.  This is the first time I have ever used Prezi, and I liked it much better than PowerPoint.  I think the Prezi presentation is much more interesting visually, compared to PowerPoint.  We are so bombarded with PowerPoint presentations that they have become repetitive and boring.  One of the advantages of Prezi is that it is very easy to insert pictures and YouTube videos.  I also like how the Prezi presentation flows; I like how you can zoom in and out to the different topics and how you can zoom back and see the entire thing at once.  The only real disadvantage I saw in the Prezi compared to the PowerPoint was in manipulating the text.  PowerPoint is pretty straight forward and in Prezi I had to play around with it to get the hang of it.  I like both Prezi and PowerPoint, and they are both great for presenting information,but after doing this activity I think I would choose Prezi if I were doing a presentation in a classroom. 

I believe the ISTE NETS standards for this activity are 1, 2, and 3.  Standard 1 for the creativity that is involved.  Standard 2 for the actual digital tool.  And Standard 3 because you are communicating information through the digital tool.

You can view my Prezi online here or see it below.

The Dangers of Smoking on Prezi

Powerpoint

Using Microsoft PowerPoint I created a powerpoint of a list of 1st grade spelling words.  I chose this topic because I can remember how boring spelling was in school.  Every week we were handed a black and white list of words to memorize.  I wanted to find a way to present spelling words to students that was creative and interactive, so I made this powerpoint.  I downloaded pictures from the Internet and inserted them into my slides.  The pictures are all bright and colorful, and represent the spelling words.  I think this is a great way to reinforce the words, because the students get to see a picture alongside the word.  I formatted the spelling words in big, bold letters that contrasted with the background so they would stand out. 

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 2. Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, because it is incorporating a digital tool to enhance and promote learning.

After creating my powerpoint, I uploaded it to SlideShare.  You can view my powerpoint online here or see it below.

Spelling Words

View more presentations from abigailh24.

Grades 2 Spreadsheet

Microsoft Excel is a great tool for teachers to use in the classroom.  It is a fast and easy way to keep a grade book.  I've used Excel and its formulas before, but I didn't know just how much you could do with it.  During this activity, I learned how to use brackets to weight different parts of a score.  I also learned how to use the IF function to assign a letter grade to a numerical grade.  And I learned that you can use the COUNTIF function to count how many of each letter grades you have.  I think this tool will be very useful to me as a teacher.  I will be able to just set up the formulas and plug in the grades, and it will calculate the averages and letter grades for me.   This will really save on time.

Here is a link to my published spreadsheet.

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because it involves using a digital tool to analyze and evaluate information.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar is a great tool for teachers, students, and parents to utilize in the classroom.  As a teacher, you can set up a calendar to let students and parents know what is going on, such as project due dates, school trips, parent-teacher meetings, etc.  Below is the calendar I created using Google Calendar.



I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because the teacher is communicating relevant information with students and parents using a digital tool.

Google Forms

Google Forms is a quick and convenient tool to gather information from a group of people.  For my form, I used Google Docs to create a survey that can be sent to parents/guardians to inquire about their interest in helping with classroom holiday parties.

Here are the links for my online form and published spreadsheet.

Google Forms are easy to share.  They can be sent directly in an email to friends, family, colleagues, etc. Recipients don't need to log in to complete the form, unless you specify that when creating the survey, for extra security.  Published forms and spreadsheets can be viewed by anyone with the link.  The unpublished spreadsheet can be set to private, so that only the creator can view it, or, set to public so that anyone with the link can view it.

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity would be: 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, because the students are using a digital tool to create their own assessment or survey.

Shortening URLs

URL Shortening is a technique that is used on the Internet, in which a provider takes an original, long URL and makes the web page available as a short URL.  For example, I took the URL http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Dragon-Tattoo-Stieg-Larsson/dp/0307454541/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308859031&sr=1-1 and shortened it to http://amzn.to/jpfLU3.  This service is important because long URLs can be inconvenient.  They take up a lot of space when posting, and can break when sent in an email.  Some of the most widely used providers of this service are bitly, tinyurl, is.gd, and nxy.  To shorten my URL, I used bitly. 

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because the students are using a digital tool to enhance their learning.

Reading Week 4

The link to my published document answering the question for week 4 is here

Online Graphing Tools

In this activity I compared WV's math and reading scores to the National average.  I took the data that I found here and used Kids Zone to create charts to display the information.  In my first document I presented data for WV's 4th grade math scores compared to the National average.  I presented the chart in a way that showed WV is struggling and falling behind the National average and that additional funding is needed to address the problem.  In my second document I presented data for WV's 8th grade reading scores compared to the National average.  Even though WV is considerably behind the National average, I presented the chart in a way that made it seem not as bad. 

This activity is a great way to show students how you can manipulate data in a chart to say what you want it to say.  You can change the scale to make differences seem less severe or more positive.

I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this activity is: 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, because students are using real world issues to gather knowledge, and using technology to present the information.  They are also using their creativity when deciding how to format and display their charts.

Web Survey

Using the Zoomerang website, I created a web survey on the usage of e-books.  You can take my survey here.  There is also a link to the survey on my link list at the bottom of my blog.

I think this tool would be great for the classroom as either an online assessment of students or a way to obtain their views/experiences of a subject.  I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this would be:  2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.

Reading Week 3

I created a google document for the questions pertaining to week 3, which can be found here

Word Cloud

Using Wordle I created the word cloud below using the text from the Pledge of Allegiance:

I really like this tool; it would allow students to be creative when working with different subject matter.  I think visual learners would benefit from it.  They could take text or quotes they are learning and view them in multiple ways.  I think the ISTE NETS standard for this would be:  1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, because it inspires creativity and imagination.

Jing Screencast

Using the Jing Software I created the screencast below that demonstrates how to make a graph from a data table and also how to format the data table using Microsoft Excel.  You can also view my screencast online here

I think this would be a good tool to use in the classroom because it could save you a lot of time.  When you are teaching a new technology concept it can take a while to be able to show each student individually how to do something.  With Jing, each student would be able to view the demonstrations on their own.  I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this is:  3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because the screencast supports the students learning.

Jing Image

I used the Jing Software to capture and create this image to teach students proper citation of a website.  I started by capturing the image of the citation, and then used the text and arrow tools in Jing to show students where each piece of information goes.

A link to my Jing Image on the web can be found here

I would use this tool in the classroom when I needed to highlight certain aspects of an image.  It is a good way to draw a student's attention to an important detail or provide additional information about an image.  I think visual learners would find this helpful.  I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this is:  3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because you are using a digital tool to communicate information to a student. 

Self Portrait

Using the website PicassoHead I created a self portrait in the style of Pablo Picasso:

The link to my portrait in the online gallery can be found here

The website features many creative and interesting characteristics that you can use to create your portrait.  And after you have created one, you can save it in their online gallery.  For your portrait you can add the features to the face, make them bigger or smaller, and even change the color.  Using this tool was fairly simple, but I did have a little trouble at first with positioning features where I wanted them, so I just played around with it until I got the hang of it.

I think this would be a really fun art activity for students.  I believe they would really enjoy it and at the same time be learning about digital art.  I think the ISTE NETS standard for this would be:  1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity, because they are using their imagination.

Snipping Tool

I used the snipping tool  on my desktop to capture this image of the browser statistics for 2010-2011.  If I were teaching students about the browser wars, I would use this chart so that they could see the percentage of people who use the different web browsers.

This snipping tool is very convenient and easy to use.  I like it a lot better than copying and pasting an image, because sometimes those images come out distorted and some images you aren't able to copy.  I would definately show this tool to students for when they needed to save an image or place it in a document they're working on.  I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this is:  3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning, because it is a tool that supports student learning.

Reading Week 2

Here is a link to my google document that I created addressing the questions from the article...Week 2

Web Browsers

Before taking this class I had only used the Internet Explorer web browser.  A browser add on is a set of software components that adds specific abilities to a larger software application.  They are useful because they enhance your web browsing experience.  They provide multimedia or interactive content; you can view animations or video.  They can also help you search the web, scan for viruses, or edit pictures.  I have used the Adobe Reader, Norton Antivirus, Java, Quicktime, and Shockwave Flash.  I currently use the Google Toolbar the most.  I also use the Google Preview so that I can view a web page before I click on it; it saves time while searching.  Since downloading the Firefox browser I have been using the Pixlr Grabber, which I really like.  It enables me to easily save and edit pictures right from a website.  The installation for this add on was really simple and took less than a minute. 

I believe the ISTE NETS standard that would best go with this assignment is:  3. model digital age work and learning, because using a social bookmarking site like Diigo allows us to collaborate and communicate with each other.  We can all share articles and websites that would be helpful to each other.

Teaching Philosophy

Here is a link to my teaching philosophy as a google document...Philosophy 

The readability statistics for my philosophy are contained in the image below:

I have also used Voki to create an avatar to read my philosophy...



I believe the ISTE NETS standard for this is:  2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments, because the avatar is a tool that can enhance learning and also allow the students to be creative.  They could create an avatar to read information they have learned while researching a topic.

Resume

I used a template in Microsoft Word to create my resume.  Here is a link to my published resume...Resume

Learning Styles Test

After taking the learning styles test my results were physical (9), aural (8), visual (6), and read/write (4).  The guesses I previously made were pretty close.  I guessed that I was primarily a physical learner, and that is where I scored highest on the learning styles test.  I also had a high score in visual learning, and that was one of my guesses.  The thing that surprised me the most was how high I scored in aural learning.  I really like music, but I never would have thought I used that as a learning tool.  To use the physical learning style in a classroom I would probably do a lot of hands on activities.  I would use models or materials that the students could touch and manipulate while learning.  The purpose of the activities would be to get all of the students involved and active in their learning.  I also think that doing group work combined with the physical learning is a good idea, because the students can discuss what they are learning and help each other.

I think it would be a great idea to give your students a learning styles test, so that you can see the variety of ways your students learn, and include the different learning styles in your teaching.

Learning Styles

I've never taken a learning styles test before, but if I had to make a guess on which kind of learning style fits me, I would say I was a (1) physical learner, (2) social learner, or (3) visual learner.  I placed physical learner as number one because I think I learn better with a hands on approach.  I like doing labs and being able to touch and manipulate the material I am working with.  I placed social learner second because I really like working with other people.  I would rather work in a group than by myself.  I placed visual learner third because I learn a concept better when I have a picture or chart to go along with the text or lecture.

Introduction and Reading Week 1

Hi!  My name is Abigail Hayhurst.  I am a senior at Fairmont State University, majoring in Elementary Education.  This is my first time blogging...I've created this blog for my EDUC 2201 class.

I have also created a google document that addresses the questions from week one here