TIE #2

Before my lesson, I was super nervous about presenting VoiceThread to my students.  I didn't think they would understand it at all, but turns out, they were better at it then me!  These students knew what to do, when to do it, and how to make it better.  I'm astonished at how much I actually liked doing this with my students.  I may actually do this with my students in the future if I get a chance!

"What worked well?"

The fact that the students had a fun time doing VoiceThread makes me believe that it ALL went well.  I heard that my peers were having a hard time with using more than one computer, so I just used one computer, and called up one student from a group at a time.  This worked well for me because I could help this ONE students while still keeping an eye on all of the other students working on their flags.  (It also helped that the students were so engaged in the guided practice that they didn't act up).  The only students coming up to me were students ASKING to be involved in the VoiceThread! It was so cool.

"What would you do differently?"

I was only able to use the typing comments because by the time I was to do my lesson, all of the webcams and microphones were gone. I was really disappointed. I think the students would have loved to do that as well.  Next time, webcams and microphones will DEFINITELY be involved.  I heard from the peers that their students had SUCH a great time with the microphones.

I wasn't able to get a picture of any of my students doing VoiceThread since I was involved in another activity with my students as well, but I can guarantee that the students, who did VoiceThread, were having a wonderful time, and the students, who didn't have a chance, wanted to do it as well!

Questions for the students:

1. What does the quote "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal" mean to you?
2. Circle the picture that indicates how we usually celebrate Independence Day.  How else do you celebrate Independence Day?
3. Circle our nations flag.  Why do you think it's important for a nation to have a flag?
4. What does freedom and independence mean to you?

HOTS Questions for YOU!! :)

1. I know one way to make this VoiceThread better is to have been able to use microphones, but how else do you think I could make it better?
2. Being an active learner is very important to me. How could I incorporate the kinesthetic multiple intelligence?

I hope you enjoyed this! I sure did!!!

TIE #1...Continued/Different

April 7, 2012 (Oops, I forgot to hit the publish button)

After deliberating what I wanted to teach for my VoiceThread, I reached the conclusion that Social Studies was the subject I wanted to do. I had first decided Science as my subject, but I wanted to challenge myself with doing a subject that I am the weakest in. It scares me to attempt something as complex (or that I think is complex) as VoiceThread, and mix it with a subject that I am not confident in. It scares me, but excites me. This semester I have accomplished many tasks I thought I never could, so what is ONE MORE?!

TEKS:

(1) History. The student understands the historical significance of landmarks and celebrations in the community, state, and nation. The student is expected to:

Explain the significance of various community, state, and national celebrations such as Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving.

Affordances & Pedagogical Implications

Digital Bloom's Taxonomy & Multiple Intelligences

Independence Day Lesson Plan with VoiceThread

TIE Blog #1

I am flabbergasted by how difficult one thing can be.  I thought I had this down, but I definitely do not.  I guess I haven't been "playing around" with VoiceThread as much as I should be.  I usually catch on to things pretty quickly, but this has stumped me.  To make things worse, because I've had such a hard time with VoiceThread, I haven't been able to think about anything else.  I am so focused on doing this one thing correctly that I am not coming up with any great ideas.  It is SO frustrating.  I just want to give up all together, but I know that it will be over soon, and I can do this.  I have a great family and wonderful peers that will help me.  :)

From what I know, Project Wild is a wonderful tool for anyone wanting to learn or teach aquatic science.  I am planning on doing my VoiceThread lesson on one of the topics from the guide book that was given to me at the workshop.  The lesson that stood out to me was "Aqua Words".  My students are to think of any words that remind them of water or that relate to water.  Then, they will make word trees with those words.  Finally, they will create a poem or poems with those said words.  Since I am in a second grade class, in a city that is close to water, I thought this would be appropriate, and we can make it FUN.
More to come..... (Once I get all my thoughts organized).

TEKS:

(3)  Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student knows that information and critical thinking, scientific problem solving, and the contributions of scientists are used in making decisions. The student is expected to:

                (A)  identify and explain a problem in his/her own words and propose a task and for the problem such as lack of water in a habitat.

(7)  Earth and space. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials. The student is expected to:

                 (B)  identify and compare the properties of natural sources of freshwater and saltwater

My First VoiceThread!

To start off, I'm not very inclined with technology.  It took me forever to figure out how to use my IPhone, let alone VoiceThread (or even this blog).  VoiceThread is not as easy as it looks or sounds.  It is very complex with a lot of twists and turns.  Though it be difficult at first, it gets easier as you explore your options, as does many things in one's life.
As I was searching and searching to find things that I could do with this VoiceThread, I came across my little icon thing.  I needed a picture!!  Once again, I found many other things, BUT where to change your picture.  I found out how much webcam minutes and storage I can have on my VoiceThread account (30 minutes and 75MB), how to sign out (even when you do NOT want to), and how to add a new identity.  Finally, I found the page I needed to be at, and I uploaded the photo I wanted to show as my icon, which took forever to load in case you were wondering.  Figuring out that not-so-complicated task, I was ready to move onto bigger and better things...figuring out how to upload a video!  "Great", I thought.  This is going to take all night.  Luckily, it was much easier to upload a video than it was to change my icon picture.  Go figure.
I had a very hard time finding out how to edit a VoiceThread that someone else (Princess) had posted.  I called her (multiple times) and was finally able to do so.  Princess had to send me another invite, and from there it was cake.
I didn't think this was going to be a good exercise for me to do, but it turned out to be fun.  I had a great time finding out new ways to make a VoiceThread better.  Having this in my classroom will be very helpful.  My clinical teacher, Mr. P., was showing me an activity he had done with a PowerPoint presentation he created.  It was just like a VoiceThread, but without videos.  He was able to add audio and comments.  It made me start thinking about all the ways I could use this in my classroom.  I am so excited to learn more about this program.

Technology Integration Experience (TIE) Thoughts

Books have always been a part of my life. I believe them to be the best way to teach anyone because there are so many different storys, pictures, and thoughts in just one book. This voice thread gave me many ideas of things that I can do in my own classroom.  Having my students read the book into a microphone then publish it online would make them feel like they truly accomplished something great.  They can go home to their family, and have them look at all the wonderful pictures they drew, and they would be able to hear their own voice telling a story they created.  It is a fantastic idea.  The students are also able to express themselves orally by reading their page of the book any way they want to.  I heard many different expressions on this VoiceThread; some were LOUD, some were very quiet, some were mono-tone, and then there were some that had all the excitement in the world.

Also, I believe it to be very important that our students receive praise for all their hard work.  Having them review books and relating it to their own life really gets them interested in reading more.  When they hear so many people tell them that they did a wonderful job, it will make them want to work even harder next time.  This VoiceThread must have made the little girl feel great about her work.

VoiceThread would be a great way to have students focus more on their reading skills.  There are so many wonderful ideas and ways to incorporate this into the classroom.  It just takes a little thought!