PBS Teachers

Please Check out my VoiceThread and learn about my classroom technology choice: PBS Teachers

Mini Lesson with Audio

Original Mini Lesson: Vowel Sounds

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Playing with Podcasts

My Podcast

In my podcast I mention that using recorded audio can be very beneficial for student with disabilities or delays in literacy. I would like to expand on that by explaining some of the benefits. Students that have difficulty with motor skills, such as producing handwriting, could use podcasting as an alternative way to complete assignments with a lit of writing. They will be able to show ownership of the project without the frustration of having to try to produce writing. This is just one example of how students could use their voice to benefit their own education. On the other hand, students with speech delays could also benefit from audio recorded by the teacher. Using media that records audio and video would not only allow the student to hear the words but also to see the way to mouth moves during the production of the word. This would provide a stress free way for students to practice on their own. Podcasting can be beneficial in so many ways; with a little creativity, the possibilities are truly endless.

Image Slideshow using Photoshop--Glacier National Park

Enjoy the slide show I made using the Photo Gallery on Photoshop.com! It displays my original photo as well as all of the altered versions. It even shows a screen shot of picnik with my photo in black and white.

Images and Learning

I would often use images in my classroom in many different ways. Personally, I learn best by looking at images or being able to link an image with a concept. I feel that using images will benefit all students even those who do not necessarily need them to learn. Using images as a way to stimulate the memory can get students involved and interested in a concept that they may otherwise not be able to relate to. Using images and video can help students to focus and make direct links from what they learned to an actual visual memory.
The idea of copyright is also important for students to understand. It can promote creativity and help students to realize that their work is theirs and it's original. Students will begin to understand that everyone works hard to create their work and they deserve to be credited for it. As teachers we need to make sure to lead by example and make sure to copyright all images that we use in our classrooms. We can also copyright our own images and publish them to make them available for others.


Photo Attribution:

Original Image: "Teaching is not Rocket Science"
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2154/2942564830_01a5174d1c_m.jpg
By: Shareski

Released under an Attribution-Share Alike License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en


To see my copyrighted images from my trip to Montana Click HERE.

Benefits of Classroom Blogging

Blogs and RSS Readers are excellent resources to implement in classrooms though out grade levels. An educator can make blogs that students can contribute to or simply use them to document her own thoughts through out the day. They are great because anyone can access them, largely parents at home or work but also other teachers or administrators. Blogs can be updated though out the day so parents can check in to see what their students are doing in the classroom. For older students they could use their own blog for any number of subjects whether it be for an assignment or to solicit help from peers or teachers with homework. At the end of the school year, students can look back through their classroom blog and have it even after school ends as a way to keep in touch. A whole school year can be documented and enjoyed through blog posts. Blogging can open lines of communication between home and the classroom, ultimately improving the educational experience for all parties involved.

Parents, teachers, and students can also use readers to organize their favorite blogs and be able to check updates all in one place. It is a great resource to keep parents and students in the know of what is going on in the classroom. If a student misses a day of school, they could simply check the updates in their reader to find out what they missed. Then they could blog to communicate with the teacher or classmates. Parents can have all of their children’s blog information in one place without having to check many different sites. All the information from the classroom or school blogs can be organized in one place, keeping everyone on track all year.

Welcome!

Welcome to my CEP 416 Blog!