Tool # 11 Reflection

1. What are your favorite tools you now have in your personal technology toolbox?

MY favorite tools are Google docs, Prezi, Animoto, Glogster, Dropbox,  Skype and Blogger. I have use them all regularly in the classroom and they are easy and make life easier for the students and me. The one that I will be trying often in my classroom will be todaysmeet, well if we get the computers and ipads.

2. How have you transformed your thinking about the learning that will take place in your classroom? How has your vision for your classroom changed? Are you going to need to make any changes to your classroom to accommodate the 21st Century learner? I love technology, my husband is a tech guy, my kids are always connected, why won't I give my students the same opportunity I have given my children? My classroom was a digital classroom last year but now with the technology available every day it will be easier to accommodate and integrate these learners that are use to technology and to have answers with a click.

3. Were there any unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you? I like that the information was compacted in the same place. is a very good source so that we can access it every day. Also I liked knowing that I was already using most of them :-)

Tool # 10 Digital Citizenship

Teaching the students about being a good citizen is our responsibility too, not only the parents. digital citizenship implies that they behave in a proper manner online. I will make sure that they know that they are laws that govern the internet also. That information that is posted can be recover and come back to "hunt them" i n the future. just because you don't find it on Google doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
The documents provided by the district are a great tool to introduce the students to this. Let them know that the school is regulating and can access, if necessary, all their files.
To teach my students this I will show them real life examples, how posting things and cyberbullying had hurt other people and can hurt them. I will create a document explaining the expectations and consequences if this expectations are not meet by the student, this document will also be shared with the parents.

Tool #9 Classroom based devices as tools for learning

1. Why do you think it is important to tie the technology to the objective? I always say that our students are born with a remote on their hands, technology is all they know. you want them to learn anything do it their way or let them apply is on their "real life" because technology is their life.
2. Why should we hold students accountable for the stations/centers? Students should be required to have a product at the end, even if it is " Tell me what you learned about..." students need to be accountable.
3. Which sites did you like. Learning games for kids- I know they will love those games. Thinkfinity- really good for creating documents and PhET- simulations for Science class. Students should always complete an assessment after completing the activity.
4. List two to three apps you found for the iPod Touch/iPad that you can use in your classroom. Bamboo Paper- gives the student the opportunity to write freely, they will take notes faster. ESO top 100- visual aids to comcepts and places discussed in class. Popular Mechanics Quake Tracker- relate the movement of the earth with plate tectonic, very useful for that unit.
5. Share another way you can see your students using the device as a station. Dividing a long lab in different parts, each group would do only one part and using these tools explain to the other groups their part.

Tool #8 Taking a look

We will get 4 Netbooks and 4 Ipads, hopefully at the beginning of the school year.
The netbooks: Small for easy storage by teacher, webcam on the top help the student have the opportunity to use other tools like Skype and take pictures. Also the light indicators are easy to understand since " if is blue is active"
Ipads: Itunes have great apps. Updating needs to be done, but not too often. Syncing the devices will help us control the apps on all machines at the same time.

These devises will be used every day in my classroom i only wish we have more of them but since we are going to have a limited number I will use them as stations during lessons and labs.

Tool # 7 Digital Projects

Next school year, classroom to classroom will be done with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Benavidez classes using google docs and skype. This will be an ongoing process about the concepts that are presented during the class. 
For my formal project I will use: CIESE - Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education
These are project conducted with other students around the world. I am interested in the "Down the Drain" project and the "Global Sun- Temperature Project"
Global Sun-Temperature Project
Objective: Given a series of situations, materials and formatted sheets, students will be able to create a hypothesis and document the evidence utilizing data collected by them and other students around the world about how the proximity to the equator affects average daily temperature and hours of sunlight
When: Global partners are invited to participate during the months of September until November.
What: Skype and Google docs will be used during the project.
How: Students will have time to collect data during every class period. Students will create a Google document in which they will be able to average the temperature that will be reported to the partners around the world.

Tool # 6 Web-Tools

I used Edmoto and Skype during this year in the classroom. Mr. Pratts and I were talking about Skyping between classrooms, specially when one of the teachers is absent. Great tools all of them, went to all the websites. After we get our classroom computer  I am definitively trying todaysmeet and wallwisher. They are both really great to get feed back from the student. Another one of my favorites Poll Everywhere. really good and the students love voting for anything.

Tool #5 Web 2.0 Tools

Link to xtranormal video: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/13564627/voodooz-movie

Xtranormal is fun and easy to use. Students will feel more comfortable since they are not being seen by the other students. 

Link to Prezi:

Laboratory equipment on Prezi

Prezi is like great. the motions that you can use for the transitions makes it very cool. Students figure it out fast and they get a huge free account. Prezi is one of my favorites.

Prezi (student project): 

Project Sample on Prezi