Grades

I don't even know if anyone will look at this, but grades are due for me next week and I should have them completed by tomorrow. If you're wondering how you did, please check on WebCT early next week. Thanks for a great class everyone.

Final Presentations

Don't forget the order for tomorrow night's presentations:

1. Oceans
2. Nature
3. Natural Disasters
4. Agriculture
5. Sports
6. Healthy Lifestyles

You'll have about 25 minutes for your group to present. We may extend slightly beyond our 7:00 end time, but I hope you'll give the final group as much respect as you expect for your presentation. I'm excited to see what you've all come up with for the final project. Good Luck!

Beam Me Up

A few weeks ago we checked out Google Earth and learned that we can bring the world to our computers. Now, Google has brought the universe to our desktops with a new feature in Google Earth, Google Sky. Check out this great overview.

Skype

So, last night we learned about a video conferencing software called Skype, which allows you to talk through the Internet. The best part is it's FREE! Imagine the possibilities when you can bring the world to your classroom. Whether it's a guest speaker or the ability to have office hours from home, Skype is a great way to see and share with others. Hopefully, we'll be able to chat about your projects next week without being in the same room. See you wherever you are...

Assignment: Arends Post

Read the article by Arends and use your post to discuss one of the following issues.

#1 What are some of the behaviors of effective classroom managers as described in the Texas and Kounin studies?

#2 What is the difference between assessment and evaluation? When it comes to technology projects developed by students, how would you assess or evaluate their work?

#3 To successfully integrate technology through your curriculum, you should consider the planning cylces as described by Arends. List the planning cycles described in the chapter, then give examples of how you would use technology in each of these phases.

Assignment: Grabe Post

Read the article by Grabe and use your post to discuss one of the following issues.

#1 What is the Big Six and how should it be used?

#2 Try this. Choose one topic and do an Internet search on a search engine, on a kid-appropriate search engine, on Pioneer, Utah's Online Library, and some other resource (like MarcoPolo, UEN Curriculum Search, or another portal). Compare your results? What did you find out? What advice would you give students based on this experience?

#3 Take some time to explore the PBS site "Don't Buy It." (www.pbs.org/dontbuyit ). This site deals with Media Literacy - a form of information literacy. What do you think of the site? Do you think this is important, or not? Do you think this is effective, or not?

Assignment: Harris Post

Read one of the Harris articles and post a response to one of the following issues in your blog.

#1 Harris (1998) lists eighteen activity structures for Internet projects as well as numerous examples. Are these learning projects prevalent in today's classrooms? Why or Why not?

#2 Think of the learning environments that Harris (1998) describes. What are the factors that influence whether a teacher teaches this way? Can a teacher work within these factors or do you believe they are insurmountable? What can a technology proficient teacher leader do?

#3 Some critics believe there's no place for Internet projects in today's world of high stakes testing and emphasis on student achievement. What is Harris'(2000) answer to this criticism? What is your answer?

Assignment: CPB Article - TV Goes to School

For those of you having trouble finding the article, click here.

In this week's post, read the CPB article and use your blog to respond to one of the following questions.

#1 Think back to your discussions on learning theory. How is use of video related to what we know about human learning?

#2 How can teachers use video to promote student achievement?

#3 Despite all the research about the effectiveness of video as an instructional tool, why do you think video use is still not very prevalent in today's schools? Should there be more video? Why or why not?

Assignment: Reiser Post

Read the Reiser article and use your post to address issue #1.


#1 Explore the link below from Module 10 in WebCT. How are the examples of Integrated Final Projects and the methods described in the Reiser article related? What would it take to teach this way? Is it worthwhile?

Integrated Final Projects

MySpace

Since we talked about Web 2.0 last week and the value of creating a collaborative world wide community, I thought I'd share another perspective.