Web Concept Map

This week we explored concept mapping as well as learning about web quests.  When using the computer in the school there are many considerations that have to be taken into account.  I focused on safety, marketing, copyright issues and authenticity of the sites in my concept map.  I found this was a great way to lay out the ideas, questions and concerns about using internet sites with students.  This was my first experience with concept mapping but I do see how this could be a very useful tool in the classroom.  In the science classroom the inspiration application would be very useful.  I will just need a bit more practice so it wouldn't take quite as long to figure everything out.  

Assignment #4

Title of Activity: Recycling & Reusing paper

References:  Environmental Protection Agency, (2003) retrieved Sept 20, 2008 from http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/mainmap.htm

Paper Industry Assoc. Council, (2008) School recycling, video retrieved Sept. 20, 2008 from http://paperrecycles.org/school_recycling/index.html#

Grade Level: 4

Subject: Science

Topic: Waste and Our World

Activity:

Students will go to the website http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/mainmap.htm and navigate around Recycle city.  They will go through the activity questions and learn about recycling and reducing waste.  They can play the dumptown game and encourage recycling and reducing waste as well as see the environmental and financial impact of recycling.  Next the students will go to  http://paperrecycles.org/school_recycling/index.html#  and watch the video on how paper is recycled and made on a larger scale as well as learn how to make paper in the classroom.  Student will then take this information and as a group make paper in class.

General Learner Expectations:

Students will recognize that human activity can lead to the production of wastes, and identify alternatives for the responsible use and disposal of materials

Specific Learner Expectations:

Students will identify ways in which materials can be reused or recycled, including examples of things that the student has done.

ICT Outcomes:

C.1.2.1 - Access and retrieve appropriate information from the internet by using a specific search path or from given uniform resource locations (URL’s)

C.3.2.1 - Identify and distinguish points of view expressed in electronic sources on a particular topic.

C.6.2.1 - Use data gathered from a variety of sources to address identified problems.

F.4.2.1 - Recognize that graphics, video and sound enhance communication.

Rationale for computer Integration:

Computers have been integrated into this activity to allow students to see the larger impact that recycling has on their world, in this case recycle city is an example of what recycling and reusing can do to our cities.  They can move through the activities at their own pace investigate how recycling is used in different areas of an urban center.  Technology also allows the students to see how paper is recycled and reused without leaving the classroom.  

In todays class we learned about smartboards. As with any new computer application this will take a lot of playing around to get comfortable with but I am excited about how this will work in the classroom. The school my kids go to just got smartboard technology so I am very excited to see how it gets used in their classes.
Patty

Ed 3508 Assignment #2

This assignment was interesting for me but time consuming in that I had never played around much with keynote before and kept finding new things to try and add to the presentation.  It was very hard to say "ok I am finished" without going back and tweeking a little more.  In making the changes to the presentation I tried to incorporate the 4 points that came from the assignment reading (or in this case viewing).  Those key points being clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.  I hope I was successful.

Patty

Here are the changes:

1. Font  - I chose one font to use throughout the presentation for simplicity and clarity with the exception of the title where the font was chosen for the visual appeal.  I was conscious of font size and made the titles stand out from the rest of the text.  I also mad sure the text on each slide was large enough to read without a magnifying glass (as might have been needed for the original)
2. Color - I changed both the color of the background and the text color.  The orange color was chosen because it is the color of flames but also because it stands out against the dark background.
3. Information - Much of the information from the original slides was condensed into bulleted lists for brevity sake and to remove redundancy.  In making the presentation I included presenter notes so that more information could be added verbally but didn't need to be on the slides.
4. Audio file - In the original presentation Elaine's story was written out in full.  I changed it to an audio file for this presentation because I felt it added to the humanity of the presentation...unfortunately the file was too big to email as an attachment so I changed it once again.  I added a picture of the fire at a distance to add relevance to her words of watching the fire from a distance and summarized what she said into bullets for brevity and impact.  
5. Pictures - In the original presentation there were no visual images on any of the slides.  I added pictures that were relevant to the overall presentation and that added meaning to the audience.
6. Transitions & smart builds - These were added to visually move the eye from one slide to the next and from one bulleted point to the next.

What do I think of Blogging?

Ok so I have now completed my first official blog.  I feel slightly more comfortable than I did in class on Thursday morning.  My experience with blogging before our first class was very limited.  I have never had my own blog site but my sister used one a couple years ago when she traveled through South America.  She would post pictures, journal about the places she had been to and people she had met as well I could read the comments that family and friends posted about her blog entries.  

To be honest I had never thought about using blogging in education until it was mentioned on Thursday.  As a parent, my first reaction was a fear of online predators.  I feel very uneasy about the thought of students posting information for all the world to see but as I have worked through the first assignment and read some of the uses that blogs have in the classroom my opinion may have softened some.  The reality is that students today rely far more heavily on computers and technology than they used to.  Walking around the university campus is proof of that, nearly everyone has a cell phone or blackberry in hand.   Blogging would allow students and teacher an immediate avenue for communication.  Teachers could post assignments, engage students in online discussions with peers or have students complete various writing assignments online.  Blogging could also open the lines of communication between teachers and parents that might not otherwise be available.  Parents would have a window into the classroom allowing them to know what their children are doing at school or need to be doing at home.  While I am beginning to see some merit in using a blog in an educational setting I am still cautious about it replacing too much of the face to face communication between teachers and students, teacher and parents and students with their peers.  Call me old fashioned but I still prefer a face to face conversation to an online chat.

Patty  

ED 3508 Day 1

Day 4 of PS1 complete and assignment #1 in progress (all assignments must be passed by Oct 30/09).  

So far being back at school after my 13 year layoff has not been too bad.  Yes it has been 13 years since I was last in school and received my Phys. Ed. degree from the University of Calgary.  If you would have asked me back then if I would ever go back to school I am sure I would have given you a resounding NO WAY, but as I have learned life has a way of changing courses and taking us to new destinations.  

My name is Patricia but most people call me Patty.  I am blessed to say that I have been married for 12 years (to the same man I might add), I am a mother of three beautiful children and when the wind isn't blowing I live in probably the most beautiful place on earth.  Before deciding to join the Education Profession I sampled a variety of career options including daycare worker, accounting tech., fitness center owner, personal trainer and of course stay at home mom.  I am hopeful that the life and career experience I have gained will be of great benefit to me as a teacher.  I admit now that I was extremely nervous about coming back to school, worried about how I was going to balance school life with a family and how I would fair as the "mature" student.  I am happy to report that as of day 4 in the Faculty I feel very much at home.  I am excited for all that is to come in PS1.

Patty