Apple Movie Maker

I chose to blog on the Movie Maker we used on Apple computers. I think it is a really neat tool that students could use to compile a presentation, their own take on events, or any type of cool motion media project a teacher could think about. I was a hog myself during the time given for this assignment, so I apologize if my fellow members did not get to explore it as much as they wanted. I thought it was so cool you could add your own audio, cut the movie whenever, add whatever clips, and basically do what your heart desired. I would like to find more out about it so if anyone knows some more let me know.

Text Book Update Available!!!

To those who commented on my blog, I have updated and included the name of the book and publisher. Hope you enjoy, don't be afraid to make another reply on this blog if you get the chance to check it out!!!

History Help

When teaching history it is important to make sure your knowledge is accurate so you do not look like a clown in front of your students. Also, it is important to show your students short videos dealing with your topic. Therefore, the History Channel website is great for this. It provides videos dealing with famous speeches, U.S history, world history, military war, explorations, society and culture. With being a history major this site has come in handy a few times. I have used clips from the site for teaching a lesson and for presentations for class. The site is very easy to use and you can search just about anything you are interested in. Another good thing about the site, you can create an account very easily and purchase any movie that he history channel has ever played. This is great for history teachers because you can start building a collection of great films to show your students.

FREE! History Materials

After talking to Mrs. Forbes about history books I buy and read along with magazines that contain historical articles, she informed me of a method to get those magazines, along with supplemental classroom materials FREE! At that point I was introduced to one of many websites where you register yourself as a teacher and you will then receive free, monthly magazines and supplemental teaching tools. One site that I have already registered with and that seems very straight forward in accepting your registration and sending the material out quickly is http://www.aetv.com/class/theideabook/index.html. This site is a branch off of the A&E television program that is specifically for teachers to use and attain free historical documents, magazines, supplemental videos, recordings, and so forth. As you complete the registration part you are then taken to a website where you simply pick the magazine, video, audio recording, and so on, then they are mailed to you with suggestive methods on teaching the lesson with the material given. This “IDEA Book” as it is called will take the strain away from your wallet when you are trying to purchase productive and essential learning materials for your classroom and students. When you visit the site via the link above, fill out the subscription form in only the areas you are required* and then browse through the catalog on the acceptance screen. Here on this screen you will find an Adobe link to preview the upcoming magazine that will be sent to you, along with links to other sites like:
· http://www.HistoryChannel.com/classroom
· http://www.historyinternational.com/classroom.
Both of which are credible research and educational material sites. Granted, these sites pertain to only history, but under the “Classroom Tips” section on the main page, you will find an abundance of educational information on how to effectively convey your information to the students which could be altered and utilized for any subject. So here you go future history teachers, a credible list of sites that will give you FREE educational merchandise to use for yourself and your students.

Field classroom

For my field experience I was in a second grade classroom at Slippery Rock Elementary School. The first day I was there I made some observations about the students and about the classroom. I noticed right away that there was not a lot of technology in the classroom. Just by looking I noticed that the only computer in the classroom was the teachers, which was at her desk. However, there was an overhead projector, bulletin boards, textbooks, and other sources of non- projected media. I was not sure if that particular school had some sort of computer lab where the students could go as a class. If they have one, I was not there when the students went. Even though the classroom I was in did not have a lot of technology in it, our teacher did try as much as she could to use what she did have. Some days she would present material on the overhead projector. Also, during reading the students could borrow and use audio cassette players from a different classroom to listen to books on tape. They really enjoyed doing that since some of the second graders were not strong readers yet. Another interesting thing that i observed while I was in that classroom for field was the use of a braille machine. One of the girls in the class is totally blind and uses a braille machine to type into, with assistance from her aide. The keys of the machine are in braille so when you put your fingers on it you can feel the little dots that make up the braille letters. This way the student can write and read things in braille by using this machine. So, even though this classroom didn't have their own set of computers or laptops the teacher still tried to make sure to integrate technology into instruction. When you are in a school that does not have a lot of technology or resources you just have to use what is available.

A visit to Norwin

As I have said in a few of my reflections, my school was renovated. Well, in the last 3 years the district has renovated and built 3 elementary, 1 brand new junior high, and the athletic facility. When I was doing my observations and I decided to stop at one of the new elementary schools. I only visited one class but on my way out I peeked my head into a few different classes. The class that I visited was very color oriented and organized. There were 6 different centers dealing with learning. Each center has new technology dealing with the subject center. Head phones, computers, CD player, VHS/DVD player, Television, internet and those are just to name a few. They have a fine motor skills center with small manipulative and things to enhance dexterity. The school also has 2 COW’s and a dell computer lab. The library has the e-books and digital media center for the students to access cameras recorders, and other software programs. I was really impressed with how the classrooms were modified after the renovations. I also observed at Lockley kindergarten Center. and the digital media and technology were lacking. Although I did not get to talk to many teachers there either it didn’t seem that the students were exposed to new technology. I wish that Lockley had the technology that the students from Norwin had. The students enjoy working with the media and work with it well. The students can explore so many aspects of life that they could not if they didn’t have all the new technologies. Incorporating technology is almost as important as having the textbooks. Use what you can get your hands on and use it to its maximum capacity.

Technology Experiences

I have recently completed Block 3 of the Elementary/Special Education Program and I have yet to see a lesson with technology in it and presented well. In my field school I was in a Life Skills classroom and I loved it ( I can't wait to go back and visit). They are lucky enough to have a Smart Board in their classroom but the board does not work all time. Often it was off center so when the students touch the screen they hit the right answer but it clicks the wrong one. And the school can not really afford another Smart Board. At SRU they stress a lot about getting the students up, moving and involved. There is so much that could be done with that and technology such as having a video that the students move along with too. It could be geared towards life skills students even with teaching them how to cross the street, look for danger and how to stop, drop and roll. I am lucky enough to have another classroom available to observe or teach in that has an Active Board. That is very similar to Smart Board so it was easy for me to catch on to how to use it. The students have remotes with this board that they can buzz in answers for during a game or review. It is more interactive than a Smart Board. This teacher uses the board for anything from math problems to reading concepts. This is not the only use of technology used in the classroom but it is the most interactive. The teacher is also very active and hands-on in the classroom. I feel that is a big part of teaching as well. The students can not sit all day. That is too hard and boring for them. These boards gets them involved with learning and with the lesson. I suggest to anyone that can to play around with the Smart Boards or Active Boards. They are a lot of fun and easy to work with.

Sirius Satellite Radio

The other day I was home with nothing to do. I turned on our Sirius Satellite Radio out of boredom and began flipping through the stations. While doing so, I came upon a couple radio stations that only spoke French. Being a French major here at Slippery Rock University, this interested me. I was surprised how much I could understand. There was a radio announcer who spoke the language and played songs all day in French. I think that this could be a useful tool in a classroom setting. For example, if there are a few minutes before class lets out and the students have nothing to do, playing the French radio station from Sirius radio could be an activity. Have the students see how much they can understand from a short clip of narration or song. Sirius radio is completely commercial-free and therefore you would not have to worry about interuptions. As stated above, there were several French-speaking stations (one with love songs, one with pop music, and two sports stations). As a teacher, you could pick which station would be the most appropriate for the students to listen to. Not only would be this be a useful tool for a foreign language class, but Sirius radio offers over 150 channels. It includes everything from music, to sports, to talk shows, to history discussions. The Sirius radio mount also allows you to plug in your iPod or mp3 player, and would also be useful in a classroom for those other items. Therefore, I feel this could be a useful tool in a classroom that I had never thought about before!

Windows Movie Maker

I was looking around on my computer one day, and I scrambled across a program called "movie maker". It had been on my computer for a while (I guess), but I had never saw it. I opened it and I have been addicted ever sense. In movie maker, you can really create a movie and share it. I haven't even begun the half of what you can do on movie maker. Right now, I just import pictures and music and make really nice digital slide shows. I have made some for friends and I made a really nice one for my Mom for Mother's Day. It is a fun program and I would really like to do more with it when I have more time. I love my computer, it has so much "media stuff" on it. When I bought it (almost 4 years ago) The guy was telling me how much of a great machine it was and how it has so much memory and this and that, but as I explored it, I found out it was everything he said it was. I don't want to be a computer whiz or anything like that, but I want to learn the basic ins and outs that can help me use my computer to its full potential. PICTURES are my hobby, and creating "digital memories" via slide shows and mini movies, is something, I want to master. Taking this class (SEFE 230) has really inspired me to learn more about the computer, because it really isn't as hard as I thought. I didn't know my technological capabilities until this class and I am ready to explore more and more. This is a great program, and to link it to an educational setting, the teacher can model (using the LCD projector) how to begin using "Movie Maker" and then from there let students explore and create some type of "mini movie".
It's just a great program and I enjoy using it.

Learning Spanish

Throughout this course we've looked at alot of articles from TechLearning. I really like the site, I think its given us alot of information and I plan to use it in the future. For my blog, I looked up articles on TechLearning about Spanish, and I found one article that was pretty cool. It discusses three different programs that you can buy to help students learn Spanish easier. Since people in general learn a foreign language better by being emersed in it, these programs offer as much as they can about the language, culture, and places that speak it. Here's the link to the website in case anyone is interested, but mostly, just keep TechLearning in mind when looking up stuff about technology in your classroom. It's a great place to go for ideas!

http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/02/spanish.php