Video Teaching Mini Lesson

I chose to teach a mini lesson on what is called a Wordless Book.  It tells about the Truth of the Gospel.  It is a story from the Bible about the true and living God who made the world.  Each color of the book is a reminder of a part of the story.  Teaching a mini lesson was a fun assignment and my kids thought it was pretty neat to be "Stars" in the movie.  We were required to upload our video recording to Vimeo.  Vimeo holds files up to 500 MB therefore, my video was too large at about 1.7 GB.  I have a PC without moviemaker so I found someone with a Mac computer so that I could use iMovie which was already installed because I needed to make my movie smaller before uploading to Vimeo. I did manage to do it after a some trouble but I only have part of my lesson on the video. Vimeo is a free, simple to use web based tool that is designed to upload and share large files.  It is designed to abide by FERPA and copyright laws therefore it is a great tool for educators to use.  Below is a link to the video and I also embedded the video so you can view it from my blog.

Link to the video: 
Lesson




Untitled from Kelsie Skogstad on Vimeo.

Analyzing Student Data in a Spreadsheet

My learning curve was very steep in beginning this project using Google Sheets.  Honestly, it was a very frustrating process for me.  So frustrating in fact that I called in for back-up (my brother) to help me figure it out.  He is very experienced in using Excel but not Google Sheets.  He ended up very frustrated as well.  I figured out the hard way that when you copy and paste into a new sheet, it doesn't take the formatting along with it.  AHH!  The average formula kept on malfunctioning and therefore after hitting enter would say error instead of an answer even though I was doing EXACTLY what the tutorial video showed.  I finally figured out how to manually fix the problem everytime I needed to average something but only after an hour of working with it.  Another thing that was annoying was that when I pushed any of the function buttons, the program would do this shift thing that set my cursor pointed at the wrong thing.  Good things about the program is that it is free, once I get the hang of it, it could be useful, it got the job done, eventually.

Click on the link below to view the spreadsheets and chart:

Link to Spreadsheet

OR

Scroll down to view the embedded spreadsheets and chart:



Sheet 1 shows all the students' tests from 6-10.  The averages that are highlighted green shows that there are 54% of the students that scored above average.  The red shows that there are 46% of the students that scored below average.
Sheet 2 shows the mean, median, and mode of the students whose scores were below average on tests 6-10.  Their overall test average was 171
Sheet 4 shows all the students who scored above average on tests 6-10.  Their overall test average was 217.
Chart 1 shows all the students who scored below average on tests 6-10.
I would need to gather more information to analyze the data perfectly.  I am not sure what a perfect score is for this data but I can compare the students scores to each other since I don't have a grading scale.  Also, I am not sure if these tests are completely different from each other or if they cover some of the same material.   With that said this is what I know, there are more students above average than below but only a few.  The students who scored below average improved from the first test (test 6) to the last test (test 10).  The average score of the below average students was well below at 171 (ave is 192) which tells me I would need to change some things as a teacher to try and help these students understand and retain what I am teaching them.  If it these were math test scores for an elementary classroom, I would find new and interesting games, worksheets, computer games, visuals, and create hands-on activities.  Things that include repetition, repetition, repetition would be essential.

Mulit-Media Project:Screenr

Web 2.0 Tool:  SCREENR!



     I experimented with the awesome, simple to use, and FREE Web 2.0 Tool, Screenr!  It is an application that records video and audio.  Anything that is on your computer screen can be recorded.  All you do is type in http://www.screenr.com/  and you can get started. It has a quick one-minute tour of how to use the application if you'd like.  First, Click RECORD on the top right of  the screen, then put the Recording Frame wherever you want it to go.  You can adjust the size of the frame as well.  Next, choose the microphone you want to use, then click RECORD!  Another cool feature it has is that you can pause it if you need to.  When you are finished then you click DONE!  You can add a message at the bottom to describe your video. Next you click PUBLISH and then you have many choices of where you want to place it.  You can publish it it on UTube, Facebook, Twitter, you can embed it into your Blog which is what I did, or you can email it.  LOVE Screenr!!
     Using this tool in the classroom would be so much fun!  It would be a useful tool to explain basically anything.  The teacher could step by step show the students how to use an unfamiliar program such as Google Doc, Spreadsheets or Picasa and record it then post it on the teachers blog.  Also, the teacher could show and explain assignments using Screenr. When the students go home they will have an example of how to do their assignment.  It would eliminate many the excuses of "I didn't hear you" or "I didn't know we were supposed to do that!" and also saves time for the teacher having to have those conversations or having to repeat herself over and over again!! The kids could use it for projects to teach other students about something that they learned for a project or speech. It would also be helpful for teachers to keep tutorials on file of programs that they use infrequently and maybe need a quick refresher before they need to present it.  My 3 kids loved using it for our gerbil race.  They thought it was pretty cool and wanted to watch it over and over again!  Super quick and easy to use!

My Favorite Web 2.0 Tools

Component 1

Web 2.0 includes many free tools and applications to use on any computer. These tools can help you in managing your pictures, creating exciting lesson plans, you can send audio and visual links full of information such as projects, seminars etc.  Web 2.0 tools has a bookmarking tool that you can put all your favorite links onto for quick retrieval and because it is web based you won't ever lose them even if your computer goes down. With Skype you can talk with and see friends and family or have conference calls free of charge all over the world.  Pretty amazing! The cool thing is that it is web based so you can have access to all of it wherever you are, from any computer. I have included some of the tools and their links below:

Blogs:             Blogger-www.blogger.com/ 

Photos:           Picasa -picasa.google.com/ 

Whiteboard:   Skrbl- www.skrbl.com/

Video/Audio:  You Tube-www.youtube.com/ Click link for a You Tube Example: Steve Jobs
                      Yodio-www.yodio.com/ 
                      Skype-www.skype.com/

Google Docs:  Docs-docs.google.com 
                       Sheets-docs.google.com/spreadsheets     
                       Presentation-docs.google.com/presentations
     
Bookmarking:  Delicious-delicious.com/

Tech Support:  Teamviewer-www.teamviewer.com/
                        Drop Box- http://www.dropbox.com/

Assessment:     Google Forms-www.google.com/google-d-s/forms/

Social:              Facebook-www.facebook.com/               
                        Twitter -twitter.com/ 

Component 2

Tiny URL

tinyurl.com

For Reviews and Testamonials click below: (not super helpful but the only one I could find)

review/testamonials

Tiny URL is a basic, easy to use, free service.  It creates tiny URL's to replace thelong ones that sometimes break when sending them in an email.  It never expires and won't break in email posting.  All you need to do is copy and paste your long URL in the designated spot and hit the "Make Tiny URL" button and a new smaller URL is automatically created.  You then copy and paste the smaller URL wherever you want it to be.  It's that easy!  You can also preview the link before you copy and paste it.

Ways this tool can increase teacher/student productivity:

• confidence in knowing that the receipent of your link will receive the entire link intact
• fast and easy
• smaller link looks more professional, clear and precise
• can use it when posting blogs for students or parents
• able to use it when sending info to students for projects or papers
• can basically use it whenever you need a smaller URL!

Google Docs Group Project #2-Picasa

The purpose of this project was to explore Picasa and Picasa Web finding ways that we could utilize its features in our future classrooms.  Below is an example of a collage made in Picasa and a link to the assignment.



Collage made in Picasa



Click Link below to view Picasa and Picasa Web Album Assignment:
Google Doc

After exploring and using some of it's features, I am growing to love Picasa and Picasa Web Albums!!

I even hope to use it for my personal photos to create albums and send photos to family.  I've never used this program before so everything was new to me.  I do enjoy editing pictures and making albums but don't have a lot of experience doing it.  The programs were pretty easy to use and figure out on my own but my aunt had a little experience with using it as well so we thought it would be fun to work together exploring it's features. 

This tool could be useful for editing classroom pictures and creating an end of the school year memory album. With the face recongnition feature it would be simple to group each students picture together for  individual albums of class activities for parents to see. Students could create collages for projects or reports.  It is a fast process once you are familiar with the program and would save time and money because you don't have to print out many different pictures.  I also like the amount of control that you have being able to choose who sees what. 

I contributed to the group by exploring the program and learning how to use many of it's features.  I used Picnik to edit some of my pictures and created a collage to see how it would work, it's pretty cool!  I also made a web album.  I used Google Docs to answer each of the assigned questions as, adding a link to my collage and to my web album as well.

OTEN CONFERENCE REFLECTION

I attended that 2011 OTEN INSPIRATION CONFERENCE  on Saturday, Septemeber 24th.  I listened to three speakers:  Joe Morelock-the keynote speaker, Machelle Childers on podcasting in the elementary classroom and Serena Flyer who spoke about utilizting the white board.  From the keynote speaker I learned about how beneficial and easy it is to use technology in the classroom.  I learned that podcasting can encourage students to work collaboratively together and it allows them to practice on their speaking skills in a less intimidating manner than a video camera from the podcasting talk.  From the white board seminar, I learned that there are many options for creating fun, interactive, colorful lessons that intrigue and excite the younger population of students. Click on the link below to view my reflection on Yodio:

OTEN Reflection 2011

Title: Google Docs Group Project

The purpose for our Google Docs Group Project for Ed 520 was to help us explore, learn and practice ways that using Google Docs could benefit us in our classrooms.

Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/a/willamette.edu/document/d/17a6UakIAESrO9oHmodyWpEh47ISkJPc9bpAIPqQzr_c/edit?pli=1#


Reflection:
Google Docs is a great tool where students and teachers can collaborate in real time.  I don't have to attach anything to an email which allows the people you give access to immediate entry.  It is quick and easy to use. I like the fact that you can invite only the people you would like to, read, add to or edit your document.  Bottom line is that it saves time and you can collaborate with anyone from anywhere all at the same time.  Pretty cool! It is an effective way to get ideas and to give ideas all with the click of a button...so simple!
For the most part it is easy to use.  I did need to go into the help link to figure out some of the insert options.  I am still a little unclear with a few of them. I started out knowing absolutely nothing about Google Docs.  After some practice and playing, I am figuring some things out although, I still have much more to learn!  Many of the applications are very easy and fun to use for me, some of the others are a little more difficult.  I am hoping to understand more as I get a chance to use it more.
In our group project, I added to the description of Google Docs, had some ideas of how it could be used to enhance the teaching and learning experience in a classroom, added my reflections and played with some of the formatting and equation options.  I also noticed that there were different options for file formats that the doc could be saved to.

Post #2 -Ed Tech--BLOGGING

I have been learning about many of the possible ways that blogging can be useful in a classroom. Three specific ways I have found most interesting so far are:  Teacher Blogs, Classroom Blogs and Student Blogs.  I plan on teaching at the elementary level so the grade level being taught would determine how in depth one could get in application of the blog.  Here are some ideas in which I could see that blogging could be beneficial in my classroom: 

Teacher Blogging would be a great tool for giving assignments to students, it could also be a way to communicate with some parents and a way to keep them current with schedules, homework, due dates and upcoming events. Communicating and collaborating with other teachers is a possibility as well.  In a few of the elementary blogs that I have observed, I have noticed that some teachers share specific details (complete with pictures!) about projects, crafts and ideas that have worked and not worked for them. I can see that being very helpful for me as a new teacher.

Classroom Blogging is a wonderful way to display students work, recap about the weeks events, activities and experiences in which students can participate in doing each week (age appropriate of course!) and communicating and collaborating with other teachers,

Student Blogging can involve a classroom effort in sharing experiences with projects, readings, self-reflections, certain subject matter etc.  Blogging in this manner is beneficial because it can motivate quieter students to participate, it gives each student an opportunity to read, write and share.  Students can take the time that they need read, re-read, reflect, react and respond to ideas in a way that they feel most comfortable.

Blogging seems to me like an easy, effective and efficient tool for students, teachers and even parents in which learning and information can extend beyond the school doors.

~A Little About Me~

I am the mother of three wonderful children.  They they are one of the reasons that I am pursuing a teaching career.  I have always loved being around children.  There is something comforting about holding my newborn baby nephew, seeing my four year old sons face light up when he writes a B (the first letter of his name) correctly on his paper, watching my four year old daughter grow in confidence as she performs a helpful task I have asked her to do and being able to develop trust and a closer bond to my eight year old son as we have our special "talk nights" that he asks to have with me. As long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher.  Now, through a series of events in my life within the past few years, I am able to begin to to fulfill that dream.  I have always been able to relate well with younger children.  I am having a tendency to lean toward teaching K-3 and maybe 4,5 but am also excited to observe some 4-6 grade classrooms and see if that spurs on any interest as well.

 My Little Inspirations!

I have an amazing, supportive family and we spend a lot of time together.  I have a married younger brother with two small boys ages 7 and 4 and a younger married sister with an almost three year old little girl and a new baby boy.  We get together every holiday with all our relatives that mostly all live close to Salem.  One cool thing that our entire extended family does is have an annual Family Camp.  We go to different places every year usually campgrounds and spend time hanging out, boating and doing family talent shows (very comical!). I spend many Saturdays at either my son or my nephews soccer, basketball or baseball games throughout the year.  My family goes deer hunting every October and I got my tag last year and shot my first deer.  Pretty exciting for my dad and I.  My oldest son had mixed feelings because he loves to go hunting but is also an "animal expert" (his own words) so he really loves animals.  I have to sneak around to kill a spider in my house!  I'm NOT a spider lover by any means actually, I'm not even a spider "liker"!  Well, I'd better get my three crazies headed to bed so until next time...