Laura Harley

Group7-StoryBoarding

2009-06-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

Title: Group 7 Storyboarding
Names: Laura and Jody
Habitude: Imagination
Content: Language Arts
Relevant Content Standards:
E.4.1 Use computers to acquire, organize, analyze, and communicate information.
• Operate common computer hardware and software
• Use basic word-processing, graphics, and drawing programs
• Create, store, and retrieve electronic files
• Access information using electronic reference resources, such as library catalog, encyclopedias, almanacs, and indexes
• Generate, send, and retrieve electronic messages

Description/Guidelines for Teachers: Storyboards are a very useful tool for students to use for exploration and discussion of story structure. In a classroom, one way I might use storyboards is to read a book to the class and then create with the class a storyboard of the story, thinking through the process with them. Then I would have a creative writing where the students create their own story and then create a storyboard of just pictures and minimal words. Each student could share their storyboard with the class and the class could try to guess what the story is about and it’s events without the classmate telling it. I think that the children would use a lot of imagination for this is the writing of their own story as well as, guessing what other’s storyboards are about. After creating, their storyboards on paper, have students computer generate their storyboard.
Example: (This is an example of how a child might do a storyboard on paper): I found BubbleShare to be a great tool to create a story board of my own which students could also use to create their storyboard. My example includes 6 pictures that storyboard through pictures the story I created. I would see if students could link my story idea through viewing my storyboard before I shared my story.

BubbleShare: Share photos - Play some Online Games.

Professional Development-Voice Thread

2009-06-19T20:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight I entered the a live session about Voice Thread on the Classroom 2.0 web site. I learned some new information from it, not as much as I was hoping to though. The screencasts and videos on the Voice Thread (VT) website gave me more helpful information. One thing that I did learn is that Voice Thread is being used as a replacement for the K-W-L strategy that we all know and love, making it less text heavy and adding visuals and pictures. Another thing that I didn't know and found interesting is how many teachers are having wonderful success using Voice Thread in LOTE (language other than English) classrooms or with students with special needs. The visuals and informal conversation options allows for great development of oral and writing skills.
One of the teachers in the online session talked about how he used Voice Thread in his classroom. He had an author virtually visit his classroom, then created a VT with pictures of the books they read in class that students commented on. Then, he embedded the VT in a Wiki and the author commented as well! This is how I want to apply VT in my future classroom. I can see how this approach to learning and interacting would really strengthen the amount of information that students retain as well as the skills they are developing.
I found it interesting how many of the teachers in my session focused on English language learners and special needs student with VT. I wonder if informal conversation aspect is in the long run equally beneficial to all students.

Mid-Course Refection

2009-06-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

I am taking a lot of knowledge and tools away from this class. I think that all the information and experience with the the tools that help connect students with other students are so important. Specifically, I have enjoyed the Voice Thread and the ability and experience to create a basal reader that way. Blogging is something that I think I will utilize for education ,as well as, for personal use in the future. I wasn't a big fan of it at first, but I have come to enjoy it and I have a few ideas of how I will use it in the future.
I am still working through some of the classroom examples in my group but all the new technology that I have been working with, while being a little overwhelming and putzy to work with as a beginner, has broadened my sense of what we can do in the classroom with technology. Being able to see some of these tools work so effectively, especially in the area of global awareness, has changed my attiude to be supportive of technology. I want to learn more and try to keep my head in the newer technologies that will just keep coming as long as I'm living. I have more of an embracing attitude versus a run-away-and-hide attitude.

Plant Hunt_Visual Media Classroom Example

2009-06-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

Here is a picture slide show I made in BubbleShare. You could use pictures of anything you may be teaching or studying in your classroom. Add clues for students to read, and post it to a website (google docs or a blog) for student to see. They could use the clues and photos to, in this case- identify plants and research for more information on the plants. I would use this before, after, or during a unit on botany. You could also assign certain pictures to certain student or groups and have them post their fndings as a comment so everyone will know more about all the plants when they look through the album.

Global Awareness

2009-06-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Building global awareness creates opportunities for learning and working collaboratively with individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles. Understanding cultures is very beneficial in building on knowledge being presented to students. It’s important for students to know that there a whole world to tap into and that the rest of the world is just as valuable as their little part. It builds a sense of community.
It was interesting to see how easy it can be for teachers to be able to find other teachers to network with other teachers. Our reading offered helpful assistance. Browsing Classroom20.com or doing a google blog search for anyone with a shared passion so that co –learning can start. It’s funny to think that most students could probably show their teachers how to go about this.
EPals is amazing! There were a lot of great ideas for projects on the Epals site that I would want to use in my classroom someday. I was searching through the different projects within Epals and there are so opportunities for students to learn from others who live what we want to know. One of my favorite ideas is learning how to use the 3 types of maps (climate, physical, and political) via exchanging emails with Their EPal about how their location impacts their daily life. This type of learning will be so much more meaningful than a demonstration by a teacher!
The other project I think I would like to do in my classroom someday is to have students communicate to learn more about and create a presentation on the habitat in their EPal's country. Considering technology, students could be very creative with sharing their EPal's information. (I’m thinking VoiceThread, Skype…?)
The skills and connections that students create through projects like EPals will carry with them throughout their life. Way better than a book report to me!
I like the story of the girl who got all of her community project ideas from the international readers of her blog. She has connections all over the world of people who share the passion of volunteer work and community services. This shows what can happen when children have some knowledge about global awareness and get involved.

Digital Footprint

2009-06-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

After reading the information about digital footprints and watching the Digital Dossier clip, I was inclined to start typing my name into google and facebook to see what I would find. I was surprised to find-not much. I am definitely not the only Laura Harley out there. I typed "Laura Harley" and got 12,400 results (with at lest the first 30 not pertaining to me at all) and there are 101 profiles on facebook belonging to Laura Harley. I am the only Laura Sue Harley though.
The tone of the Digital Dossier video was a little intimidating and kind of made me not want to be on the internet at all. However, as I clicked on a few of the other Laura Harley results out of curiosity, I came across many great examples of how to use being "out there" to your benefit. One Laura Harley was a elementary teacher that was showcasing her student teaching experience. Another Laura Harley is a musician of positive uplifting music. Yet another was a life coach who made reflections using her blog.
I come away from this experience wanting to embrace the fact that I'm 'out there' on the internet and that to a certain extent I can control what that is. Or at least create some true reflections of myself for others to see. I plan to apply this information by keeping better track of what is on the world wide web in my name and contribute to my digital footprint with information I would want people to find when they type in Laura Harley.
I wonder how often employers look into applicants digital footprints and how much it effects their decision to hire or not to hire. I can see how the internet is a valuable tool for employers. It would be interesting to know how much they use it.

Habitudes 5 and 6

2009-06-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

Habitudes 5 and 6
“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”
Habitude 5 was about courage. The above quote struck me as the quote that summed up courage the best for me. This is how courage works for me. Whenever I have been found to have shown a courageous act or have seen someone else act courageously it has been more about priorities and integrity over fear and bravery. I also liked how the author concluded that the childlike mindset of being at an amusement park fearlessly riding huge, fast rides they have never ridden before just for the experience is the mindset that we need to create in the classroom to make fearless learning the norm. I really appreciate the time the author took in really setting up her writings in this book so that it can be so easily applied by other teachers in their classrooms. Habitudes are more than knowledge but skills that will offer students amazing successes in life.
Habitude 6 focused on Adaptability. There were two quotes in this section that went together and really reflect on what adaptability is and again, what real ‘strength’ is. The world opens up for adaptable learners, approaching each task and challenge willing to be a beginner. This quote is very accurate. How many people have you worked with that live their life and complete duties always ‘the way they’ve always done it’. Even though I wish sometimes that’s the way the world worked, it’s not. The people who are embracing changes (because we can’t stop them and we still have to live here, unless you can afford a slab on the moon) and are willing to learn new things and try things another way will be the people shaping the future. It seems Adaptability is a willingness to succeed. It is not the strongest of the species that will survive, or the most intelligent. It is the one most adaptable to change. Nothing is more consistent than change and it will be a goal of mine to see that my students are giving experiences to grow their attitudes and habits of Adaptability.

Personal Online Safety

2009-06-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

So often I find myself getting little pop-up reminders from my firewall and virus protector telling me to renew my protection or wallow around online completely unprotected. I often do this reluctantly because I feel a slight push of importance about trying to keep my computer as safe as I can. After reading more about personal online safety, I am so glad that I take time to make these feeble attempts at protecting my computer and information! I have learned a lot of helpful terms and tips that are going to be very beneficial. I had not thought about the significance of requesting two-factor identification (something you have and something you know) to offer more security. Others things like turning your computer off after shopping online and having a routine time to regularly back up important files are great habits to form.
One thing that I already try to be careful of and will be more so now is what I am putting online. Social networks like Facebook make it so easy to just show everyone what you are doing and give out a lot of information about yourself. And with networks like this, it’s not only about what I am putting online. It’s what others could be putting online about me. I was surprised to learn that the biggest safety issue with laptops is that they are easily stolen. Having a laptop, that makes me want to use all the extra precaution s to keep it in my possession.
I wonder what future computer protection might look like? I wonder as technology doubles every couple of years what other types of protection we will need you have in place before we enter the online world. The world wide web is such an amazing tool to be at our fingertips as long as we are aware of how to protect ourselves from viruses and hackers.

Mid Course 1

2009-06-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

This class has shown me some great tools that I will use in a classroom someday. For one, the Wiki is amazing to me! I haven't been able to dig into that process too deeply at this point but I know that a wiki is what we are using for this class. I can see how it can be utilized both for education and personal uses. Since it is not my group's project, it has not been my focus. Voice thread and screencasting seem to be immensely useful. I love everything that I have learned about the voice thread thus far. It is a really fun and diverse way to have a discussion! I think that others will enjoy working with it too! Screencasting is something that I want to play with to help my mom be slightly more tech-savy. It gets so difficult for me to try to explain the computer screen and what she should be doing with the mouse etc...when I am not physically there to show her. A screencast would replace the phonecall.I know, it's a fuuny idea for me to think about just whipping a screencast together to get mom through an email emergency, however, it is opportunities like this that defines the role of technology in my teaching. Once I understand this, I can make learning easier for students. At the least, knowing and using all these types of technology opens up more paths for individuals to grasp information and learn to communicate more effectively.
As overwhelmed as I feel with this class, I am happy for what I am taking away from it!

Habitudes 3 and 4

2009-06-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Habitudes 3 and 4 are perseverance and Self Awareness. There was some great information in these chapters. I can see a teacher being successful in cultivating these attitudes in students with the sample lessons that the author provides from her own classroom. Our group protocol for these chapters is to pick quotes and reflect on them. This was easy to do...there are some great quotes within habitudes 3 and 4.
Habitude 3 described perseverance. One of the quotes that I appreciated was, "Real perseverance happens when you do it anyway, in spite of opposition." Perseverance definitely takes a form of strength that breaks through obstacles by merely showing up. You could relate this to me for instance getting through this degree...sometimes I have to break it down to one foot in front of the other. And even though I have days when I would rather not be away from my family, work full time, school full time, and try to juggle numerous other responsibilities in life...I (with lots of encouragement from others) do it everyday, knowing that I am not alone...and after all is said and done or I get through a tough patch, I can see why perseverance is so vital! Another quote I like is, " Perseverance is the cornerstone of any successful endeavor, in school and out. It is key to victory over unfavorable circumstances." There will always be those times in life when it seems like it would almost be a relief to side step out of a tough time, but what is the glory in that? What good would have come from the tough time?
Perseverance is a habitude that I want to be able to model well for my students so that they too, can stick it out through obstacles and keep their goals in sight.
Self Awareness was covered in Habitude 4. One quote stuck out in my mind that really rings true. "Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment." This quote reminded me of an adventure I had the other day. I was attending a group discussion kind of thing at my church. I was interested in the content and I know that others were waiting for my input but I couldn't seem to get my thoughts on a subject together until 10 minutes into the next subject. All evening was the same. I didn't really appreciate that about myself and I know that I have felt the same way in other classes when I am called on randomly. Then, I happened upon this article with positive light shed on introverts (which I have never totally considered myself to be) and explained almost exactly what I sometimes experience in group discussions. If I had asked someone else, maybe they would just know that and could have told me but having learned that about myself...I would say the word for it would be Enlightenment...Interesting! Perseverance and Self Awareness are habitudes that I, as a model for others, would like to continue to continually strengthen.

Email Etiquette_205

2009-05-31T20:14:00.000-07:00

The article I just read on email etiquette was a mostly a great refresher, however, I did learn a few new bits of information that I was not aware of before. For instance I was not aware that email is not very private or secure and that it takes extra steps to make your email encrypted. A step that I would like to remember to take after reading this article is to trim back old messages instead of copying old messages to the bottom of continuing emails.
Another idea that I want to apply when emailing is to embed the the answers to questions from sender's message copied at the bottom of a return email. I think that this could make communication clear and organized as long as you let the sender know that is what you are doing.
Something I had not thought of is to send an email explaining that you are sending an attachment and why BEFORE you send it, especially to someone you have never emailed before. That is very helpful and something I would appreciate myself.
I wonder about listservs. I am not completely sure what a listserv is. The article suggests that we lurk to get a feel for group talks and what might be expected from list members before you actually participate. I don't think we can learn too much about how to effectively communicate online. It's the way it is and it's best to embrace and learn all you can to function appropriately.

Hopes and Hesitations

2009-05-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, night one of technology class is over and now we are going to start diving into projects both in groups and individually. I am excited to learn new ways to use technology! At the same time, it seems like a lot to do in a little amount of time. I am comforted by the instructor. He seems to be easy to approach, easy to understand, and happy to aide us in the journey.
I guess overall I have no real worries, we will get it done and be better for it. :) Look how far I have come...I am a blogger now! No one saw this one coming! :0)