Cell Phones in the Classroom

While exploring other blogs, I came across Mary's blog post about using cell phones in the classroom. I found this as an intriguing post because in my experiences, cell phones have always been the largest nuisance in the classroom. After reading Mary's post, I do agree with her. It seems quite obvious to use the students' interests in order to teach. Since cell phones are such a large part of the students' lives, it would be very motivating to use the phones in the classroom. I do understand the many disadvantages that cell phones can have within the classroom, but I think that if controlled properly, it could be very advantageous to the class. I think that the usage of cell phones in the classroom could be controlled during class activities, where grades are not a large concern. I could also see using cell phones as being largely advantageous in a Deaf Education classroom because it would help students with their communication, writing, and social skills. I've been in many deaf education classrooms and the students are often seen texting on their phones. Many times it is because cell phone usage is often incompatible with their hearing devices.

Mary provided a great website with pros and cons of the usage of cell phones in the classroom.
Teaching Today
Here are some other websites that I have found comparing the pros and cons of using cell phones in the classroom.
Fair Cell Phone Use in Schools
Cell Phone Use in Schools



Photo Attribution
Original Image: Cell Phone Cameras
http://www.flickr.com/photos/compujeramey/168108824/sizes/s/
By: compujeramey

Released under an Attribution 2.0 Generic license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Second Life

After seeing Jenn's post on Second Life, I became very interested in what it was about. I ended up visiting the website and looking around a bit. I, too, am a large fan of the Sims game series. I have yet to explore it some more, but I am very intrigued by what it has to offer. I am planning on joining the world of Second Life and exploring the advantages and disadvantages to it as well. From Jenn's blog post, I think that it has great potential for those who are learning about budgeting and business. I too find that it would be hard to convince the parents of students that this site would be beneficial, let alone the school that I would be working at. I am looking forward to further explore this site and see what it is about!

Ending CEP 416

Now that this class has come to a close, I am looking back to the beginning, and I find that I was not as competent in technological knowledge as I thought I was. I have learned so many different kinds of technologies and different resources that are useful in my future classroom.

One technology that I think that is very useful in the classroom, but wasn't included within this curriculum is the use of Skype or iVisit. In my previous classes I have utilized these resources and was able to communicate with people in other states and countries! I think that this technology is really key to connect people and to learn about other cultures.

The technology that I found the most interesting was Jing. I thought this was the the most interesting technology that we used. The only thing that I found with Jing is the challenge to integrate it into the classroom. The only way that I can imagine it being advantageous is to teach technology use and different resources.

The technology that I found the most useful was GoogleDocs. I think that this application is the one application that is most likely to carry over into my future teachings. I think that it was an amazing resource for collaboration and for the accessibility between computers. I can definitely see myself utilizing this in my classroom!

Photo Attribution
Original Image: Our Computers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelaypablo/860181962/sizes/s/
By: aranarth

Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

PBWorks

In creating my wiki, I had the option to use Wikispaces or PBworks. I have had much experience using Wikispaces, so I decided to try PBworks. I was happy to be able to compare the two wiki-creators. I find that Wikispaces is easier to use and easier to navigate than PBworks. I think for those who are new to creating wikis, Wikispaces would be the best of the two options. I like the toolbars offered and the easy access of the navigation bar.

While using PBworks, I did enjoy the pre-determined templates. I had fun exploring the different templates within the site. I also really like the calender that can be added into the wiki. I think that in my future career as a teacher, I would rather use PBworks, due to the different features that it offers. It seems very classroom-oriented, while Wikispaces seems more general.

Click here to access my wiki!

Photo Attribution
Original Image: PBworks
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vandema3/4760997280/sizes/m/
By: vandema3

Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en

Web 2.0 Ways to Tell a Story

While completing my Digital Storytelling assignment, I explored several different applications. Among these were Xtranormal, Pixton, and Slideroll.

Of all of these, I found that Xtranormal was the coolest! It was really cool to explore the different options offered between different scenes, actors, voices, sound effects, and camera angles. I felt that I had a lot of room to be very creative! Plus, it was really cool to see my videos that I had created. It was fairly easy to navigate and to understand. The only problem that I ran into was sharing the video on my blog or any other website. It seems as if I needed to pay to "Publish" the video.

Pixton was really different from the rest of the presentation applications. I was able to explore the creation of my own comic book. It had many different options that was available, and even more if you were willing to upgrade. I did find that due to the copious amounts of options, it was very time-consuming and hard to navigate. I finished one frame in the time of two hours!

Lastly, I had settled with Slideroll to present my Digital Storytelling lab. I thought that this was a very cool way to create a presentation. The feature that I enjoyed most was the effects and transitions. Also being able to overlay the captions was a cool feature. I did find it hard to create a timeline with a picture order that I thought fit best.

Kidspiration

Kidspiration is a program that helps student organize their thoughts into a graphic organizer. It is easy to use and has images for those who beginning to read and audio that assists students to navigate their way. There is a very cool video that explains many of the cool features that are part of Kidspiration.

Kidspiration is a version of Inspiration that is designed for young students. I downloaded the 30-day free trial and had the opportunity to explore the features that Kidspiration offers. It has a "Picture Viewer," "Writing," and "Math View" options at the menu. Each of these avenues allows the student to create Kidspiration Documents that visually organize ideas. A really cool feature is that the user can go back and forth between the "Picture Viewer" and the written version of the the graph that they just made. It helps the students to connect the words with the image!

Other cool features is that in the Menu a list of activities is offered. They are organized by subject matter (science, social studies, writing & reading, math). Each subject matter has its own list of activities. These include pre-defined webs, ven diagrams, hierarchy charts, and other graphic organizers that use the "fill-in-the-bubble" method.

In every component of the program, an image toolbar is offered. Here the student can search for images. The student can also add bubbles, add arrows/connectors, change colors, create symbols, add notes, and access the word guide. The word guide gives a definition, list of synonyms, and an audio of the text.

Click here for a Jing screencast that explores Kidspiration!

Photo Attribution
Original Image: Kidspiration colors
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vandema3/4760258903/sizes/m/
By: vandema3

Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

My Portfolio

While starting my portfolio, I wasn't exactly sure what I should have put in it. I have found that it has become much like a home base for my exploration of the net pertaining to this class. I think that if I was to create a personal website for other classes and personal reasons, I would really find it handy. I thought that it would be a good idea to copy the labs that I had posted on Blogger and post them on my website as well. This way I would be able to have all of my tasks in one place. I added links under the "Commonly Used Link" that I have found very useful. As this class has progressed, I have been continually adding links!

Using Weebly was another resource that I was introduced to in this class. I really really liked this website due to its easy navigation and use. I found that the drag and drop methods of this website is very easy to use. On the other hand, I thought that the site was rather limited. I am not sure if it is an option to upgrade, but I think that it would be worth it to upgrade if you planned on regular use. In the future, I could imagine using Weebly as a class website creator rather than a wiki creator, such as PBworks; however, that would depend on what I planned on doing with it and whether or not I would have students access it. In fact, I think it would be advantageous to use both in the classroom so students could have experience with both applications.

Click here to visit my portfolio!