FV_ Final Video

Jana's Viddler

This link will take you to my Viddler account where my reflection video is located.

PE6_ Flash

The final step in this process was to add the animation and set the timeline to play. I had a difficult time of setting the size of the picture to show the background I wanted.  I'm learning about how to save these files to play. This is my first attempt to play my animation. I needed to set the timeline a little longer. I feel with more practice my animations will be more professional.

PE5_ Flash

My next experience with Flash was to take one of my own photographs and add little extras using the drawing tools. This process took more trial and error to get the exact look I wanted. I had some problems with Flash closing unexpectedly and then having to start all over. I suggest you save often to alleviate starting over.

I watched Lynda.com videos to add layers to a project.

These videos taught me how to set the background and foreground of my project.

PE4_ Flash

I began my first experience with Flash by watching the Lynda.com tutorials for Flash Professional CS5 Animation Projects. It was easy to follow along and begin transforming my first project (pictured above).
The drawing tools made creating this fall foliage easy with a click of a button using the tree brush effect.

I followed the step by step instructions to create my first flash project.

W4_Reading

Kids Teaching Kids: Middle School classrooms come alive when students teach their peers.
By Yvette Jackson, Tyrone Geronimo, and Ahmes Askia
This article explains how engaging students through project-based learning can motivate middle school students by peer teaching and demonstration lesson.

7 Essentials for Project-Based Learning
By John Larmer and John R. Mergendollar
This article explains what every good project needs to bring the learning from teacher given to student driven. It also describes how each project step looks within the classroom walls.

Making Thinking Visible
By Ron Ritchhart and David Perkins
This article shares the principles of the Project Zero's Visible Thinking approach and thinking routines. This approach revels routines to jump starting thinking in schools.

How Flat Is Your Classroom?
By William M. Ferriter
This article challenges teachers to make it a goal for the school year to incorporate more technology and digital tools to connect globally on cooperative projects.

PE3_Google Docs Drawings

I began Google Docs Drawing by watching the tutorials. 

Then I jumped right in and made this concept map about my action research project. 

This tool can help with my action research by letting my critical friends add reading material and websites that correlate with my research. 

PE2_Google Docs Presentations

I began watching video tutorials about Google Docs Presentations. Then downloaded a PPT for my School's Report to the Public so that multiple people could work together. 

This presentation gave information about all three buildings in my school. Each building was able to proof read the material and make notes on each slide. We were able to set the actual presentation and assign each person their part right on the screen.

This can help with my ARP as I share Google Docs with my critical friends within my school district and develop presentations to present new technology tools to my faculty.

  

PE1_Google Docs Forms

I chose to learn more about Google Docs Forms. My Full Sail group in the past months have used several of the Google Docs tools. I learned how to follow along and work on these programs but I never began a project from scratch. 

I began by watching videos tutorials on Google Docs.

I followed the step by step instructions and set up my form questions.

Then used a template to make the live form look like this.

I think the best part of the Google Docs Form is the response summary feature.

Using this Google Docs Form tool will help me with my ARP as I collect and interpret my data.

BP12_OMM Bitstrips for Schools

We presented my student evidence to my administration and they purchased this program for 325 students.

W3_Reading

Bloom’s Taxonomy Blooms Digitally

By Andrew Churches

This Article explains the categories of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy adding in the technology piece with the different levels of thinking.

Web 2.0 & You

By Donna J. Baumbach

This article explains how web tools are classroom tools such as paper, crayons, and glue. They can be used in numerous ways within the everyday classroom.

Higher Order Thinking through ICT: What do Middle Years Teachers Think Really Matters?

By Mary Lincoln

This article uncovers the social interaction that shape middle level individuals and the direct impact it has on their high school success. 

Middle School Preparing Young People for 21^st Century Life and Work

by Ken Kay

This article examines the 21st century rigor in classroom and redefines it for the middle school classrooms.

BP11_Comment to Sharon Clay

Follow this link to my comments on Sharon's blog

BP10_Comment to Peter Binskin

Follow this link to my comments on Peter's blog.

BP9_Bitstrips for Schools

Bitstrips for Schools is an educational tool that stimulates creative thinking through student created comics. This web-based tool is easy to use and a fun way for kids to learn. It teaches a wide variety of critical thinking skills such as, visual and media literacy, inference-making and digital storytelling. 

I used Bitstrips for Schools with my Pre-algebra class. 

Each student created an avatar which reflected their own unique personality. 

This web-site was extremely easy to set up a class and post an activity.  

Each student created their own comic strip to demonstrate the Distributive Property. 

I was able to monitor their progress and post comments as they developed their storyboards.

 

I was able to send each comic strip back to the student with my editing comments before they submitted their final piece.

My students were engaged and used creative thinking skills to learn math concepts!

Here are a few comments from my class:

Sanya said "This website is great for kids and there classes no matter what their doing. It lets you make comic strips to perhaps demonstrate something. This website will help your students or children learn quickly by making it fun!"

Danica said, "This website is great for kids to learn and have fun all at the same time! It's appropriate for school and helps teachers teach their students with something they enjoy!" 

Garrett said, "This is an awesome website you can do really cool things and it makes math kind of fun and you can be really creative."

W2_Reading

Collaborative projects and Web 2.0: a social learning environment

By E. Fernández Díaz

This article relates traditional educational practices and the new teacher roles based on social learning environments.

Assessing the educational values of digital games al_

By J-C. Hong, C-L. Cheng, M-Y.  Hwang, C-K. Lee & H-Y. Chang

This article examines the educational values of digital game-based learning and sorting games into seven categories: mentality change, emotional fulfillment, knowledge enhancement, thinking skill development, interpersonal skill development, spatial ability development and bodily coordination.

Game-based teaching: what educators can learn from videogames

By Janna Jackson

This article relates game based teaching to game based learning. Where teachers base lessons on the same principals as videogame-like components. These components are correlated to the game levels where students earn point that take them to the next level or assignment.

 Alternative goal structures for computer game-based learning

By Fengfeng Ke

This article correlates computer math games and their impact on math performance and learning attitudes of students.

BP8_Twiducate OMM

link to viddler

BP7_Comment to Jeet Chadha

Follow this link to my comments on Jeet Chadha's blog on Strip Generator.

BP6_Comment to Teresa Crawford

This is my comment to Teresa Crawford's blog on PlanbookEdu.

Click this link to view comment

BP5_Math Playground Web 2.0 Tool

http://www.mathplayground.com/index.html

Math playground is an interactive website to practice math skills. It’s math made fun for elementary and middle school students! Students can practice and learn math skills by playing math games, answering word problems, working logic puzzles or watching math videos for help with specific skills. This website was developed by a mathematics teacher in 2002 to help students learn math in an exciting way.

This week I used math playground with my 7th grade math students. My objectives for class were to practice multiplying integers and use the rules for multiplication.

Integers Warp Game is a multiplayer learning game, which allows students to play one another and race for the fasted time multiplying two integers. The player with the fasted and most accurate skills wins. This game is set up to race up to four students at a time. Students create a player name and join either a public or private game. Public games are set up to play anyone even the computer. Private games however are set up to play within your classroom. 

My students' created private games and shared their passwords.  Then they began their games and raced to the finish line.  How quickly they answered determined how fast their spaceship went.  

My students and I found this game to be very interactive and a fun way to put a new twist on practicing math skills. 

They are begging everyday to practice math facts, WOW what a change this site has made on the way I plan skill practice and homework. 

BP4_Twiducate Web 2.0 Tool

The Web 2.0 Tool that I chose to use in my professional environment is twiducate a social networking site for schools.  As a classroom teacher it was refreshing to find a social networking site for schools. This Web 2.0 tool is not blocked by the state's network filter system, which blocks everything that might possibly used for social networking.

I found it very user friendly and had no trouble setting up one of my classes. The best part, it took about five minutes to set up. I was able to add upcoming important dates as well as bookmarking links to the online textbook. I also added links for fun youtube videos which reinforce math concepts. This Web 2.0 tool will allow my students to check assignments and post comments to the class. 

W1_Reading

My research begins with veteran teachers and our journey to teach the 21st century digital learners by incorporating rich media using Apple one to one student computers.  These articles look at the characteristics of digital learners and the teaching methods to engage them.  

BP3_Diigo Group

Invitations have been sent to join my Action Research Group.

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

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