Teaching Internet Safety

I talked to my 15 year old sister who is a sophomore in high school about cyber-bullying. After asking her about what she knew about internet safety it was pretty apparent that she knew to be careful. She knew to stay away from chat rooms and people she did not know.
I thought this was important because at her high school there have been a couple instances where people have been bullied to the point of suicide. This makes me sad because I want to be a teacher in the near future and I don't want any of my students to have to be hurt like that.
It was a positive discussion because she had already been introduced to the idea. She knew that it wasn't something she wanted to participate in. I think it was a valuable and positive discussion because it never hurts to be re-introduced to something. She had some background knowledge so it was good to discuss and revisit the idea. It is a scary thing that I do not want her to have to deal with. If anything, the discussion let her know that I care and that I think knowing about this is important.

Technology Integration Ideas

Angela did this great lesson on the Smartboard (it wasn't a Smartboard, but a technology tool just like that). She taught fractions using a picture of a pizza and I thought it illustrated it very well. She said the kids loved being interactive and participating. It was a great way to teach fractions and it was a good way to use technology.
The second great one was Angela Jack's lesson. She taught about dipthongs using the computer. She used the technology well and I think that is an important lesson to teach.

Internet Safety!

1. What article did you choose to read for your fourth article?
"Rated A" by Elder Marvin J. Ashton (Of the Council of the Twelve)
2. What were the most important things you learned from the readings?
I learned that yes it is important to have rules and limitations for internet use but there is a balance in the amount of control and agency. This is something that is logical because you don't want your students and children to be afraid of using the internet but they need to be aware. Keeping people safe is important but they need to be prepared for situations when they are exposed or encounter something dangerous. The readings made me realize how important it is to teach your children what they should do if they come across something they shouldn't. They should know the procedures so they can know how to act.
3. How will what you have read influence your actions as a parent and/or teacher of children and youth?
I have always been very skeptical of free internet access to children because I had a lot of friends who found themselves in trouble with internet problems because it was just to accessible. My parents had our family computer password protected and it was annoying as a child when I wanted to use it at my convenience but now I understand why they did that. They were trying to protect me and my siblings. I plan as a mother to also protect the computer. Internet is too accessible and tempting and can lead to unhealthy habits and behaviors.
As a teacher I will discuss with my students appropriate activities to do on the computer. Having a class meeting about the dangers of a situation provides students with the 'why' of a rule. Talking about the dangers that the internet provides is something that all kids need to know and understand. Cyber bullying is a huge problem and should be addressed how bullying on the playground is not appropriate.
4. How can you use what you have learned from the reading to have a positive influence on family and friends?
Learning about this has instilled a desire to encourage my friends and family to stay away from internet dangers. I will tell the people that I know and care about the things that I have learned so they too are aware. Internet is a blessing, it just needs to be used appropriately.

I watch and learn.

After watching some presentations I got some ideas of great units that would be enhanced with technology. I saw a lot of good ideas that used computers to help students do research and type up some sort of formal assessment. I also loved the one SmartBoard presentation because I want to be able to use a SmartBoard in my teaching!

Using Technology in 1st Grade!

Teaching with Technology

View more presentations from erinbracha.

TPACK wk 11!

I will be using our classroom ELMO on Thursday to teach a literacy lesson. The topic is not final yet but I will be projecting a story for our writer's workshop activity. I will use the ELMO for my 'Think Aloud' time and to model what will be expected of the students during their writing time. The ELMO will make it so the students can all see clearly what I have written. I am excited to use the ELMO because I think they are very useful and fun!

TPACK wk 10

Using the Smart board I would create a questionnaire over a concept that we have recently explored as a class. Smart boards have excellent participation features for the students. The students get instant feedback on their responses and it is a fun hands-on way to assess students. I would use this for a science lesson because I could have a lot of visuals to illustrate the concept.

TPACKer

I realized that their are not too many activities you can do in a classroom that is equipped with only a few computers. It would be really hard to keep all students engaged if they didn't have a computer.
But I have realized that their are a lot of indicators for every objective on the state core, which opens up many possibilities for teaching. I just need to understand the indicators more.

This is the link for My Files in Google Sites Filing Cabinet: http://sites.google.com/site/historicalamericansites/my-files

Virtual Tour TPACKage

What is the content you’ll be using in your lesson?
- For this lesson I will be using Google earth to show children some major historical and current American sites. Each site has different significance to American and its history. This lesson ties to Standard 1 -Students will interpret the role of geography in shaping United States history Objective 2 - Utilize geographic skills as they relate to the study of the United States. This has students making a connection between historic geography and current geography.
What is the pedagogy you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
- I will conduct this lesson with my class by starting the lesson with a discussion about the history of America. When settlers first came here they came on the east because that was the closest harbor. We will discuss how most major political locations are on the east coast. Then I will show the tour of the historical national sites.
What is the technology you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
- I will be using a virtual tour on GoogleEarth for this lesson. This will fit the pedagogy because I will teach students about some brief history and then I will use the tour to connect their knowledge.

Virtual Planage

Location	Activity	Google Earth content:
1. United States White House	The activity for this site will be a slideshow of all the Amercan Presidents. This is important because they were all a part of the history of the White House. This is important because they were all a part of the history of the White House.	The media for this tour site is the slideshow of American Presidents at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/slideshows/presidents/ There is also a picture of the White House on this site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/slideshows/presidents/
2. United States Pentagon	Activites for this national site will require the students to create their own pentagon out of paper. The five sides can be issues that they think are important to them right now or future goals they would like to achieve.	Their is a picture on this tour site: http://oboerista.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/pentagon2.jpg
3. Washington Monument	Activity for this American site will be a slideshow of the rocks that can be viewed at the Washington Monument. There are many pictures this slideshow but all are different and unique. This slideshow could be slightly boring to children so this video on TeacherTube would be a good tour of the Washington Monument.	Slidewhow found at: http://www.nps.gov/wamo/photosmultimedia/index.htm. The TeacherTube is found at: : http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=49710d6377d3150cf90d. The picture on this slide is found at: http://emeraldrs.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/washington-monument-address.jpg
4. Mount Rushmore	Activity for this site is a video on TeacherTube. It is very informative and gives useful history about Mount Rushmore.	Video: http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=feab575962e78e006250. There is also a picture at this site: http://globeleap.com/images/places/mount%20rushmore.jpg
Details of image overlay / path / polygon:	There is a path called East Coast National and Historical Sites. This path connects the three sites that I have located on the east coast: Pentagon, White House, and the Washington Monument.

Pinky the Pirate tells a Digital Story!

This is my digital story book with Pinky the Pirate!

TPACK rerun

- What is the content you’ll be using in your lesson?
For this lesson I will be using electricity saving practices to expose children to language through the use of media. This lesson will help enhance the oral language of students. The content of this lesson will help them increase their listening and speaking skills.
- What is the pedagogy you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
I have created a digital story with the help of my sock puppet, Pinky the Pirate, to teach students about ways that they can help the environment and the earth. My pedagogy is based around my short story, A Public Service Announcement, about saving planet earth.
- What is the technology you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
Using this digital story as a Public Service Annoucement is a good fit for the content and pedagogy because it gives useful information in a kid friendly way. This technology will provide children with more types of language and will help them increase their listening and speaking. And they will be exposed to this new type of media.

Digital What?

TPACK follow up

1. The content that my science lesson for the 6th grade is focusing on is microorganisms. Students will be exposed to a variety of different microorganisms through the use of virtual pond and digital microscopes.
2. The pedagogy for this lesson will be based around student exploration. Students will be using virtual pond to become familiar with the different microorganisms. Students like using computers and different technologies and they will be given a chance to use their technological interests to learn about these microorganisms.
3. I will be using virtual pond and digital microscopes in this lesson. They fit this content because the virtual pond gives the exploration power to the student and they are the directors of their own discovery. Digital microscopes also fit because they give the students real experience with microorganisms. They will be able to see first hand what they had been learning and reading about.

New SciFi Technos

This week was fun to explore all the possible science links and tools. I am a huge fan of Google earth and I always have fun using it. But this assignment introduced me to some cool new websites and ideas. For this science activity my group explored the virtual pond website and the utility of digital microscopes. I think that digital microscopes would be a good tool in the classroom because of the hands on experience that it would provide students with. I always loved microscopes when I was young and I think every kid enjoys exploring through a 'new lense'. The microscope would allow them to make sense of what they are seeing because they would be the one viewing the content. I am a huge fan of the utility of a digital microscope.

TPACK smack

I had never heard of TPACK before this lesson and I find the idea interesting. I always had teachers who used technology in the classroom but I never realized that it was for the enhancement of a concept. They just seemed applicable to what was being taught. I think this knowledge is necessary for teachers because of the teaching aid that it can be. I found this information helpful for me and I am not even a teacher yet. This knowledge can only help teachers be more effective in all content areas. Involving technology alongside teaching allows students to learn with various teaching tools. Technology also may be a tool that excites and involves students who get bored by standard classroom settings. I think this information is very useful.

I Teach Science

As a teacher in the increasingly tech savvy world we have created a way for students in the 6th grade classroom to explore different microorganisms through the use of digital microscopes and an interactive Internet website. We believe that through the use of these aids this lesson will be more meaningful for the students.
The objective that we are focusing on for our science lesson is to observe and summarize information about microorganisms. For this lesson we are going to introduce the students to the concept of microorganisms. We will discuss a few different types of microorganisms that surround us in our environment. After we have sparked the interest of this new concept we will then explore the website http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html. This link will take you to Virtual Pond Dip and it is an interactive activity for students. It allows you to see the physical form of various microorganisms. In the pond, each component is a link and has specific information concerning each individual microorganism. The virtual pond will allow students to explore various microorganisms and their information.
After this activity of exploring microorganisms in the pond water, we will then introduce the students to the digital microscope. We plan on using small sample of pond water for the students to view through the microscope. Only a small drop is required under a digital microscope and it allows students to see these small organisms up close.
As students have opportunities to explore microorganisms online, they will be able to clearly see and identify the differences between the various organisms. Using the Virtual Pond website students are able to easily view and classify microorganisms. This easily enhances their ability to pick out the microorganisms and identify the various components involved with each. As students learn about each microorganism they are not only viewing the physical characteristics, but also the make-up and movement of each. This provides the perfect introduction into classifying microorganisms before students view real life microorganisms from a nearby pond. Students are able to truly learn the differences between each microorganism, making time spent looking through the microscope more useful. Students will be able to truly learn the differences without feeling burdened and overwhelmed with staring through a microscope for many hours. This technological feature also makes the distinctions between the microorganisms more clear, enhancing their ability to classify, identify and observe microorganisms. Using this technology not only saves time in the classroom, it also develops students use of the Internet and observing abilities. Students learn skills in many areas as they learn about the microorganism from the Virtual Pond website.


We chose this picture of a pond to illustrate the point that microorganisms can be found in every part of our environment. This pond also ties to the virtual pond water experiment and the pond water that the students will be exploring through the digital microscope. Pond image found at: http://www.dinternursery.ca/PondMay.JPG













This digital microscope is an example of microscope that would be useful for students to use to examine microorganisms up close. Microscope image found at: http://www.microscope-microscope.org/basic/microscope-images/digital-microscope-420tc.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.microscope-microscope.org/basic/buyers-guide.htm&usg=__JnlfUfrdaatuA6CIuRQ6Q-qrbMQ=&h=399&w=300&sz=18&hl=en&start=6&sig2=QOq6u6ijcEeCmRXDDdbUrg&um=1&tbnid=pPf1BE_EUHlPTM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&ei=ADt-SbaCA6TUMaSxnJoH&prev=/images%3Fq%3Ddigital%2Bmicroscope%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN













The following four screen captures are of the Virutal Pond website. These screen schots show the opening page of the virtual experience, and some of the useful pages. This gives a brief overview of what a teacher can expect of the experience.

RSS and Web 2.0 are tricky!

I learned a lot about RSS this week. Considering the fact that I have never heard of RSS. RSS is a new concept to me and I found it quite interesting that I have never heard of this resource. Web 2.0 is also very helpful because it is an open resource for others to view. I have always doubted the blogging system but I see where it is helpful in this class because you can see what others are doing if you are confused. This new knowledge will be helpful as a teacher because I will know how to condense all my favorite and useful websites into one place.

My life with technology....

I have had some experience with technology because I went to an elementary school in a district that stressed the importance of technology. We always had current computers and programs. We often had small lectures on the new gadgets that were being invented. I then went onto Junior High and High School and took a few computer resource classes. I feel like I understand Macintosh computers very well, but only briefly understand how to use PC's.