Friday, August 7, 2009

Day four - Atomic Learning

I am so glad that we were introduced to atomic learning today. I learned so much this week that I am likely to forget so much as well. I feel with Atomic Learning at my disposal I'll have a great resource to both refresh my memory and teach me new things .... and I won't have to call Kathy at home.

Day Four - Inspiration

For some reason I always perceived inspirations as a tool for younger kids to play around with and never considered it as a valuable tool for my work or even for high school students. I'm glad I gave it a chance yesterday, realizing that it is not only helpful in organizing your thoughts but it allows for creativity and is much more versatile than I ever imagined.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Day Three - iMovie

I got so close to burning a movie in iDVD last night that I can almost taste it (an error appeared in the final burning stage). By Friday I will have a short movie ... I shall not be denied.

Day Three - digital pictures

I am so excited to move from the world of sliding pictures into a physical album to creating albums, slideshows, and movies. Also, instead of simply e-mail a list of pictures it was so helpful to learn how to quickly create albums in photopeach and iphoto. I might however lose some sleep playing with all of this stuff ... it will be worth it!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Winter Slideshow

Winter 2008 on PhotoPeach

Having fun in Shrewsbury

I look forward to returning to Tech Camp this afternoon ... take some good notes for me. Are you impressed that I am blogging during a break in my class?

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Day two article reflection -#2

What Has Podcasting Done for You?: Great Things Often Begin in Small Ways


I think the act of putting ones thoughts into a podcasts engages the students in a deeper, often more thoughtful way in their learning. It takes it a step beyond the idea shared verbally in the classroom and forces the student to research and rehearse while being mindful that what is said will be both shared and saved for others to hear. It is also exciting to put ones own voice on the topic rather than just the teacher.


Day two article reflection

Listening to Themselves ....

"It's not about the technology so much," Schmit says. "Podcasting is much more about inquiry, analysis, and articulation."

I think podcasting is a great way to engage students in a new way. Through this medium the students can become teachers themselves and share their thoughts and observations with students in their classrooms and beyond.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Article # 2

I'm thankful that I work in a school that really encourages and pushes faculty to accept and utilize new technology. The system also provides extensive opportunities for professional development in this area. Wikis allow us to collaborate and share information with other professionals as well as engage our students in an on-line collaborative process.

Article Commentary

http://www.edutopia.org/wiki-dont-lose-number

I am just beginning to think of ways to utilize the wiki and new ideas are already jumping into my head. The userfriendly nature is especially atractive and can be used across all grade levels. I can already see how much easier in will be this year to plan and organize the NEF Spelling Bee with the use of this technology.

Where are my followers?

Why is Drew the only one following my blog? Is there a rumor going around Tech Camp that my blog is rather dull?

Tech Camp 2009

I am having trouble importing schedules into my google calendar. I think I'll ask the instructor how to do it. Drew has been a big help, but I think I've gone beyond his level of expertise on this one.