Reflection of Diigo

I would use Diigo in my teaching as a way to keep track of any kind of information, activities, or ideas I am searching for. It is a good way to keep all of these things organized. Also, I can search through other users' Diigo accounts that have tags in education and such things and follow them and the things they post!

Diigo account

http://www.diigo.com/user/ganserth

Go animate Video Reflection

I really enjoyed making this video with go animate. I like it because it is easy and you can make it as detailed or as simple as you want. I think it could definitely be used in teaching. One way I would definitely use it would be like I used it for this project. It's a fun way to make an announcement of some kind or to get new information or rules across to students. When students see something animated like this, it makes them want to pay attention more and they will remember it better in the long run. It could also be used to teach lessons such as a math story problem or a way to summarize a story your class has read. Not only can the teachers use it to teach their class, but students can use it as a way to present a project to the class or teach the class a concept themselves. It is fun and easy, and I think both teachers and students would enjoy it!

Go animate video project

GoAnimate.com: No texting in class!! by ganserth

Like it? Create your own at GoAnimate.com. It's free and fun!

Concept Map Project ~ Animals Concept Map (Kindergarten)

Pixton Project Reflection

I would use Pixton in the classroom as a fun way of learning. It could be a fun way to introduce new ideas or concepts through a conversation in a comic. It could also be a tool for students to use to create projects to share with their classmates. Instead of using a posterboard presentation or a powerpoint, students can teach a subject or concept to the class through a comic in a new and creative way.

Pixton Project

Google Document project reflection and explanation

We created a Google Document where students can all interactively answer questions about a book. We made a table and created basic questions that a 1st-3rd grade class might be able to answer about the book we chose. With Google Documents, students can answer on their own time and at their own pace, and can also read what other students have read to help them. With a project like this when other students can see what everyone writes, it is probably a better idea to have questions that can be answered with an opinion rather than a real answer because otherwise, students might just copy off of the first person who answers the questions. Also, we're not really sure how well this type of activity would work with lower elementary but would definitely be an excellent tool for students in 5th grade and up. I really like Google Document because it is fun and easy to use and is also easy for students to use and a great way for them to see what their fellow classmates are writing.

Google Document Project

Our Google Document

My Google Calendar Project

My Prezi Project! ~ All About Me!

All About Me! on Prezi

Kindergarten Math Lesson -Shapes (voicethread project)

Voicethread Project: Kindergarten Math Lesson-shapes

1. We are going to teach a kindergarten math lesson on shapes. We will introduce the shapes to the students, and then show pictures of the shapes to them. Also, we will talk about the characteristics of each shape, as well as helpful hints to remember them. 2. Indiana Common Core Standards-Math K.G.1 Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to. K.G.2 Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size. K.G.3 Identify shapes as two-dimensional (lying in a plane, “flat”) or three-dimensional (“solid”). 3. We are going to use Voicethread to both show and explain the shapes to the students, as well as provide them with helpful hints to help them remember the shapes and their names. Also, we will use the “doodling” tool to help emphasize certain characteristics and how they differ from other shapes.

My voicethread about my top 5 favorite Authors!!

Twitter Project

For our twitter project we followed teachers as well as other groups related to education. We tried to tweet directly to teachers for advice, but we never received any responses back. However, we did learn a lot from just following what the teachers/groups tweeted about. We learned from one tweet that the biggest obstacle in the classroom isn’t always your students or what happens to them outside of the classroom, it is your mood as a teacher and how you choose to interact with your students. It also provided a list of things that you, as a teacher, have control over everyday such as: facial expression, tone of voice, the words you use, etc. Also, some teachers use twitter to post things that worked well for them in their classroom, experiences they had in hopes that followers will provide feedback, any questions they have regarding lesson ideas or general help they may need. Furthermore, following groups such as the US Department of Education, Scholastic Teachers, and PBS Teachers provided us with information regarding issues, changes, updates, etc. on things that are going on in the world of education. Even though we did not get direct feedback from teachers, we still learned a lot by following them and reading their posts. We feel that using twitter to become connected with other teachers will be extremely beneficial to us in the future as students/professional teachers. 

http://mrbchs.blogspot.com/
Found this new blog that I think would be great to follow! Its by an English teacher, sharing the ups and downs of the daily life of a teacher. I like this blog because there is a lot of audience/blogger interaction. This blogger gets a lot of comments on her posts.
http://rantingteacheruk.blogspot.com/
I also found this blog about a teacher who rants about the everyday issues of being a teacher and about the issues in the news about education. This blogger also has a lot of followers who comment on her posts, which is beneficial to me because I can see her viewpoints and how others respond to it. Its useful because she talks about a lot of government issues related to education and can keep you up to date on the latest happenings.

I think both of these blogs will be helpful and interesting to follow. I can learn about real life issues and hear some funny stories and experiences that teachers have out in the real world. I think this will prepare me on my journey to becoming a teacher!

Greetings!!!

Hello everyone!! Thanks for reading my blog!! I just wanted to say hello to everyone and let you know about me! I will be posting about my experience as a college student and how I will be transitioning from the student side of the desk to the teacher side. This is my "road to becoming a teacher"!