Session 10--Final Post

This class has shown me that even though technology is expanding and growing in schools, it is not always the answer. Many teachers fear the computer, there is not always the training available and for the most part, there will always be technical difficulties to deal with. I use technology in my class everyday and I know how to use it. So in this case, my students are receiving the best benefit from the technology. On the other hand, if the teacher does not know how to use it and/ or doesn't use it consistently, then the students are the ones that suffer because they become confused.
This class has opened my eyes to all of your situations as well. I see that on some things I am not alone, and others--- well I am alone. I hope that we all take from this class that we are the ones that will help to integrate the technology into our schools and we are the mentors that other teachers will be wanting to talk to about it.
If I would give anyone advise, it would be to .... not buy the technology if you don't have the time, man power, money to train someone to use it and if your not going to use it all the time. Technology is great, but when it is not being used... then it is just a waste of money.
I enjoyed this class and thank you Dr. Newberry for all your support and help through the course.

Focus Project 3

This is a mock proposal to my district office in Corona convincing them to purchase a thin client system for the elementary school that I am currently at. I discuss the benefits as well as the cost. Check out the excel spreadsheet to compare the prices of computers and computers on a thin client system.

Letter to District
Excel Spreadsheet

Session 9

This podcast comes at a great time, I just returned from the CUE conference in Palm Springs where I dedicated three whole days to Professional Development training. I can easily state that some of the workshops were very beneficial and some I walked out thinking, I could have done that.
Trainings are very expensive and time consuming and I think that is why so many teachers or people in general have a hard time pulling themselves into workshops and conferences. A few bad experiences can really discourage people from going back.
One of the most positive trainings that I have been to and this is not because I am a Discovery Educator, was the unitedstreaming workshop hosted at my district office a couple of years ago. Our district purchased a license from Unitedstreaming and we signed up from each school to go to the main workshop where we would then train teachers at our school site later. I was so impressed with how the presentation was set up. Example: the speaker was enthusiastic, funny, entertaining, and knowledgeable. I feel that sometimes as a teacher, I have to be those things to keep my students attention, so why shouldn't trainers be that way as well. So that was a positive note. As well as the fact that the speaker touch on real school-life situations, and help us see how using this product is easy and beneficial to the students. She is a former teacher herself, so she was understanding to the fact that many teacher go away from the idea that they have to learn something new because it takes up so much time. So she broke it down to how we would train the teachers- no using big technology words that no one knew and by being honest. She allowed us sometime to try it out for ourselves on the computer before moving on. This is great because it allowed us to get a hands-on training as well. I enjoyed this mainly because I learn better when I can play with something and for the fact that if we did something wrong or we didn't understand, we were able to ask questions to the experts that were right there. The Professional Development continued, but this is still my most exciting and interactive training I have ever been to.
As I stated before, I attend the CUE conference not to long ago, and I was very impressed at some of the workshops because of how the presenter presented. However, I did attend one that sticks out in my mind as being a not, so good presentation and it is because the presented didn't really seem to be prepared, they were not loud enough that everyone could hear and what they were demonstrating really was an extra in my eyes. I love to learn about how to use new technologies in the classroom, but this particular workshop was more about fluff that something really needed. It was a workshop on integrating Flash Media into PowerPoint's. I use PowerPoint's all the time and I love Flash Media, but she took it to another extreme. It was almost too much to where I think the students would be lost as to what you want them to know. I think that most of my students would concentrating so much on the Flash that they wouldn't pay attention to the content on the PowerPoint. I was hoping that she would demonstrate more of how to created the Flash Media into the PPT, and less on showing us what she has done. It was almost like a "Show Me" workshop where she was looking for kudos on her wonderful talent. I would suggest to her to show the teachers how you did it, how you got the students to learn it and any tricks to teaching the younger students, and how much time should one need in order to do this. So needless to say after watching her sixth PowerPoint, I left. I know what PowerPoint's look like...lets move on.
I agree totally with Dr. Newberry, trainings are costly and time consuming and not always worthwhile. So I say to have a great training, you really need an organized, enthusiastic, fun, knowledge presented who is prepared to answer a series of questions.

Activity Log:
I have been interviewing two people about the benefits of using a thin client system for my Project 3 which I will be submitting later. I am typing up my final "mock" proposal for my project and trying to gather as much information as I need to make it sound very convincing. I will be posting blogs on three or more people pages later this week as well.

Session 8

Data collecting is something I think that teachers are very familiar with. It is our primary source of information to see how our students are understanding the material that we are teaching them in the class. I use several types of data collection in my class, some computer generated and some paper formed.
The computer generated data is collected through several computer programs that I use. I use Easy Grader Pro to collect the students grades on my computer. This program allows me to save all the grades in categories of subject matter and it also keeps record of attendance, missing assignments, failed assignments and most importantly, their GPA. At any time, I can pull up the Grade Pro and I can tell a student their grade and GPA in an instant. As opposed to the old days where you would have to average out grades by hand and the student would have to wait until you had time to do that.
Another computer program that I use is Study Island. This is an Internet based program that the students use to test their knowledge on any subject matter and skill. The students are taught the lesson and review the lesson by doing the skill activities on this website. I then have them take a post test (and sometimes the pretest) on the lesson and the computer will send me their scores, class average, class placement, and how the tested. In other words, were the guessing on all the questions or were they really trying to answer the question correctly the first time. This is a great way to get a computer generated data collection on the students quickly.
My school also uses AR (Accelerated Reader) which the students use to test their knowledge on a book that they read on their own. Each student are working toward a personal goal set by the teacher and when they reach their mini goals or their final goal, they receive a prize usually set up by the teacher. This program provides the teachers with quick, easy to read forms on who are taking tests, how they are doing and how close they are to their goal.
As far as paper formed data collection, I have a suggestion box in my classroom where the students provide me with feedback on how they think the class is going and if there are any improvements that they think should be made in order for the class to be more fun and interactive. This is not a formal assessment of data, but it is quick way to ask the students for feedback. The students are usually very honest with their suggestions. I will also be sending out two surveys this year on how the parents felt my communication with them was as well as how helpful my website is for them and their student. The other survey will go to the students regarding the same concerns. This type of data is also very useful in evaluating you teaching strategies and how you can improve as a professional. Just like test scores, you can learn from their suggestions.

Activity Log:
I worked on putting together the PowerPoint project on Unitedstreaming. Made sure to have all the images understandable and to make sure that I narrated the PowerPoint Correctly. I attend the CUE confernece for all three days in Palm Springs. The confernece was very educational and fun. This saturday was my birthday, so I didn't post my blog that day because I was out with family. I then posted my blog on sunday and commented on three peoples blogs. Now I am getting my research together to finish up my project 3 to be ready for next week.

Focus Project 2

This is a PowerPoint out using Unitedstreaming from Discovery Education. This PowerPoint is narrated so sit back and enjoy.
http://www.msokelley.com/etec623.htm
Fixed the hyperlink...sorry about that!

Activity Log
** Forgot to add to the bottom of my blog**
I finished up my Focus Project and posted it on my blog. I am working on resizing it because it is a big file. I posted my new blog on Ed Norman and made three comments on others blogs as well. I am working on and finalizing my second focus project that is due next week. Its been a good week :)

Session 7

Ed Norman Syndrome:
First off I want to state that I was so shock listening to this podcast. I can't believe those types of restrictions. At my school site... I would say that we are pretty easy when it comes to downloading, uploading, using and abusing the computer. Lets face it, most of us learn through trail and error. If we upload the wrong thing and we get a virus or in some cases the "blue screen of death," then we learn to maybe check with someone first. We are not given permission to do personal activities on work computers (bills, surf, shop, email) but many of us do. We are there at work for more than half of our day and some of us (like me- who drive an hour and half- one way- to get work) spend more than that. We allow teachers to use their own computer software in the classrooms that they are in. We don't encourage pirating software and using it all over the school- so when they rotate out of that classroom, we ask that they remove it off the computer. Being on the tech committee, I wish less people would download those free screen savers onto their computers. Those will slow down your computer something fierce and you can never really get rid of them because of the viruses that they install. But the teachers love them and they want their computers to be pretty.
As far as our students using the computers, they have a log in and password of their own and with that come certain Internet blocks to regulate what they are viewing, but they are able to surf at will.
I am not sure how I would react to someone like Ed Norman, that would drive me crazy, especially because I have a background in computers. It is such a waste of money to purchase something that you strict so much that no one uses. That is like the school purchasing a nice jungle-gym for all the kids at the school, and because you don't want it to loose its shine or because for heavens-sake a kids falls off....that you don't allow them to use it. What a waste of money. What better way to learn, than to mess up a few times and get that second chance. I highly doubt that there is anything that a teacher can do to a computer (without wanting to) that would destroy a computer beyond fixing. So as far as Ed Norman, I pray that I never meet him or wind up a school that has that many restrictions. I think that that is rediculious and too "big brother."

Focus Project 1

Digital Storybook:
The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the use of technology with even the youngest student. Many teachers believe that the upper grade teachers are the only ones that can use technology with the students. I used the project to show how the students can use technology as a learning tool and I worked with a group of Kindergarten students on the story the Gingerbeard Man. They had to read out the play and record onto the computer. Then I took pictures of them using a digital camera. To put it altogether, I used Photostory 3 and blended the pictures and sound together to create a short movie. With older students, you can have them do the editing process on their own, but the kindergartners will still able to learn how to record and drag and drop the pictures into the movie.
(enjoy)