Week 3...Digital Storytelling

I have fallen in love with Animoto, this site is a great resource and I will use this for every presentation I do. This site allows the user to create a very unique presentation/movie using their own videos or pictures or by using the images and videos they have stored on their website. I am growing to love digital storytelling now and I am able to step outside of my closed box. I am learning about several new techniques that allow me to tell a story without it being boring or dull.

Week 2...digital storytelling...

I found the voice thread aspect of our lesson to be very interesting. I think using this tool will allow students and even teachers to create a document using their own words (or voice that is..lol). I can appreciate this tool because it does not take away the imagination but adds emotion to the story. Using this tool allows the listener to understand clearly how the author may feel through the tone of his voice as the words are spoken. I am still hesitant in the effectiveness of digital storytelling but this tool has sparked an interest in me that makes me want to continue my research even further.

Wondering what digital storytelling is all about...

As the first week of class ended I had a small idea of what the next six weeks would entail, however I was still unsure on how effective digital storytelling would be. I was raised to read and tell stories with words and pictures tend still away from the imagination. So after 30 plus years as a avid reader/storyteller I am not quite sure how effective digital storytelling will be for me. However, with the technology changes that occur within our society I feel like this generation may not agree with my old ways of thinking. Pictures, graphics, and videos help to inspire learning and interests with the young generation of today. I worry about this because I feel they may loose their creative thinking and imagination when the picture is already painted for them. Just a few thoughts...I may grow to love this change in reading and storytelling.

Another class has ended..week 6 CED 525

As another class ends I feel like I have grown academically within my teaching career. The thing I take with me that I find to be the most relevant is the learning techniques that apply advanced organizers to improve the classroom experience. I also found the unit on cues, questions, and hypothesis to be a very useful technique that allows student engagement rather than the daily teacher lecture. I will take these two techniques and apply them to daily lesson plans, which I feel will encourage student learning and academic growth. I appreciate each tool and technique learned during these past 6 weeks and I look forward to growing further in my teaching career!

Hypothesizing...

I must admit I love this concept and it makes a great tool in presenting new material to the students. Most students are not allowed the freedom to critical think about a new subject when it is introduced. I like to start a new unit with a moment of critical thinking and allowing the student to present these thoughts so that together we can come to a correct solution. In math most students are told to follow the steps to solve an equation but what we fail to do is to teach them why we are following these steps and where they are derived from. However, in hypothesizing the students and I are able to build these steps by testing the guesses against the problems and in turn they develop a theory of why we solve equations the way we do. I absolutely love this tool and I hope most teachers will adapt this technique into their own lesson plans.

Homework and Practice

As all students know, homework is that dreaded topic we all know and hate to discuss, it can be time consuming and difficult to complete if the student does not find it relevant. Homework should be a way to help students develop and apply the material they been learning in the classroom. Homework is simply a tool for practicing new material and maintain prior knowledge. In some cases it can become a tiresome routine that will not benefit the student because the homework can become irrelevant when it is designed to engage the student. Timely homework assignments tend to disengage the learner and as a result there is no actual benefit of the assignment because there is no active learning going on. The teacher has to discover ways that can allow the student to practice the material in a timely effective method, which may include assigning a daily homework task that is short yet effective which allows them to use their own creative thinking to conclude the task at hand. In the case of the middle school math teacher, it can be productive to assign a 20 problem assignment that covers each area including accessing prior knowledge to keep each method fresh in their minds. This task can be time consuming for the teacher, however the benefits of configuring an assignment that will allow the students to complete without losing focus will allow them the practice needed to master a subject.

CEDO 525 Week 3 Reflection

The purpose of asking students to learn through cues, questions, and advanced organizers is to build higher level thinking and allowing the students to develop their own thought on the subject based on what they know about the subject.
I can think of a time that I asked students to build a KWL chart to analyze their overall growth on a subject and I was pleased with the results because they maintained this chart for the entire unit. The students were able to visually identify their growth on this subject. This task went well because the students were involved in identifying their individual educational growth.
I can not think of a time that I asked students to build advanced organizers and I was not pleased with the results. Each time I use these tools I am very pleased with the results. Technologies that I can use to help students build knowledge are any online tools that allow students to build concept maps, graphic organizers, and any word processing program. There are several questions I have about using technology within my classroom for building a successful program that incorporates advanced organizers as well initiating cues and prompts for classroom discussion.

CED 525 Week 2...Thematic Instruction

In my reading for the this past week I came across a informative document, from the website http://www.netc.org/focus/strategies/them.php,that gave me a sense of pride in my own curriculum design and implementation. Thematic instruction is very relevant to my own professional development because I want to teach and inspire the at risk learner. I feel this territory is rarely challenged and those who embrace this arena are always searching for methods that encourage learning. The author identifies that this approach relies on teachers who have a strong sense of curriculum as a learning process and can see ways to connect learning with key concepts. The goal is to choose themes that relate to students' lives to ensure interest and engagement in the content. The at risk learner feels that education is not relevant to their life and lifestyles, their environment is not conducive to learning. Thematic instruction allows the teacher to build her lesson based on her students lifestyles, therefore making the material relevant to their individual lives. According to the document "Classrooms free of threat, students engaged in immersive learning experiences, and curriculum that connects to the community and the students' lives are all aspects of brain-compatible teaching (Caine & Caine, 1991, 1994, 1997a, b)." Allowing the students to recognize that knowledge can be found in their own neighborhood, can build confidence in learning and applications.

CED 525 Strategies Week 1

Note Taking:
What is the purpose of asking students to learn note taking strategies is to assist students in gathering information from the lesson and storing it into an organized individual ideas and questions and details are supported to organize the material.
I can think of a time that I asked students to take notes, (rule-based summarizing based the age of the students so they can learn the process of Cornell note-taking system) on a lesson on weather patterns and I was pleased with the results. It went well because the students were able to follow along with the lesson and ask their own questions on their paper and ask questions to me while building details and facts on the material that was being presented.
The kinds of technologies I used to help students was a power point presentation that incorporated a graphic organizer of what we were learned on that day and put each main idea in specific category.

Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
This is one of my favorite classroom pastimes and I must say I always find a way to provide recognition with at least one student in each class. Providing feedback is always a way to encourage learning and build confidence in the student.
What is the purpose of providing recognition and reinforcing effort is to show the students that their hardwork and time is never taken for granted. As with any person, the work they do is always improved with positive reinforcement.
I can think of a time that I asked students to work in groups as a cooperative learning strategy and complete a project based on the solar system and those who finished with quality work were rewarded with praise and presentation. One thing my students learned from me was not the length of the work but the quality of it and how much effort was shown into the project.
With this project I feel the kind of technologies I can use to help students will be more examples of what is expected of them to learn and apply in a 6th grade science class. I feel like I can talk about my lesson all day long but unless a quality graphic representation (pictographs,pictures) is there to reinforce my lesson I feel they do not receive the best education available.




The questions I have about using technology in the classroom is basically how can I build a lesson and incorporate technology when technological resources are so hard to obtain in certain school districts, shouldn't public education be equal to all who attend?

New Season...New Class

I am currently very excited about this new class, I feel that the knowledge that I will acquire will help me become a better educator and most importantly help my students. I must admit I am not into the whole textbook thing for this time around but from what I hear from my classmates its a great resource and so it may not be so bad. I am not experiencing any overwhelming feelings yet so that is a safe sign!! This next 5 weeks I have to learn to pace myself with all that is going on so I do not overwhelm myself with homework, work and my own personal life. I will take each week one at a time!

InTime Video

I chose to view the video on the graphing Linear Equations, here the teacher was actively addressing the material through pre and post questioning. The teacher had a differntiating lesson that addressed each students learning pattern and ablilities. The lesson was a success because there was a variety of ways the teacher introduced the material. I was very impressed with her lesson plan and her indepth questions that engaged each student and allowed the teacher to assess each students understanding and correct for any misunderstandings.

Week 5 CeD0515

From what I have learned in the past week I can honestly the one thing I will find to be the most effective is the Evaluation Tool assignment. I was unaware of these online evaluation tools, and was highly impressed with the California Learning Resource Network. Their site listed numerous criteria that had to be satisfied prior to being considered a suitable ELR for classroom usage. I found many great online resources for teachers of mathematics, many of which included interactive games for students and lesson planning suggestion for the teacher. I will definitely adapt many of these resources into my classroom.

Spreadsheets and more...

This past week was all about spreadsheets and creative learning. I tend to enjoy playing around in excel because there are several applications available in this program. However, tonight I played around in the Google version of a spreadsheet and I must say I am very impressed with this the very free program. Although there are several things I wish I had access to(like the center around the test function) but I was still able to complete my task without any problems. I think it is just amazing the capabilities of this software and I am wondering when Microsoft will lower the price of its office products when these free online applications can perform the basic functions successfully. I will be studying the future effects on Microsoft Office since the latest version has just been released.

Ahhhh after a wonderful vacation..playing catch up is difficult:(

After a wonderful vacation to Jamaica I find myself overwhelmed with homework and professional commitments. Even though I am struggling my way through the assignments I am enjoying every moment of the material I am reading. My goal for attending this program is found in the this very class. I wanted to learn technology based methods to incorporate into my classroom. I believe students learn when they are engaged and enjoy what they are learning. Technology is a great way to grab their attention and keep them engage throughout the entire lesson. The guidelines and strategies in chapter 3 are very informative and I will apply these techniques into my future lesson plans.

Reflections on CED0515 Class 1

The first class of CED 0515 has me very excited and ready to drive in! I am very excited because I want to build an effective lesson plan that incorporates technology everyday. I believe that technology stimulates education and keeps the students engaged throughout the entire lesson. With the digital capabilities of today there should no reason for lessons to not include some sort of technical presentation. Students of today are exposed to technology in many ways, by the celluar phone, television, computer, and music players. With these available resources it is very important for our students to also see these options in the learning process.

I know there many online resources and CD-ROM's available for use while teaching a lesson, I plan to use a lot of these resources and introduce my students to them also so they too can learn outside of the classroom.

My Course Content and its Relevance

In the past weeks I have been able to apply all that I have learned to my own computer system. At the beginning of this course I was all set and ready to learn but my computer stopped me short in my tracks. I was faced with a unprotected system that had multiple virus issues. Prior to this discovery I was so frustrated with the rate my system processed any requests, it was slow and always shuting down on me during class. From I learned from my own system was to always have protection and the research I conducted during this class led me to wonderful software purchases that now how my system running much faster. My favorite part of this course was the virus research, I was able to gain a full understanding of what was occuring in my system and why. I will definetly be able to share my knowledge successfully with my colleagues and friends.

Computer's need protection too.....

I understand what it truly means to improve the management of the computer. In the past weeks I have been informed that my computer was infected with several different viruses. For a long time I could not understand why computer was running so slow, and I removed several non-significant files from my system but the run-time was still not functioning correctly. The discovery of the malware, spyware, and trojan viruses really brought to life the class 3 lecture. I believe Dr. Skonecki said "DON’T ever run without antivirus" and yes I did run my system without my system on a expired McAfe subscription. I have learned my lesson!!

From this experience I will always remember to run my system with Antivirus protection. I also learned to back up all my files and important data not only onto extended hard-drive but onto to my online drop box. Having my files available while my computer was away was essential to my all my daily activities.

Personally and professionally it is essential for the computer to be protected regardless of what sites and activities I am performing on my system (I just never assumed I would encounter any malicious activity). I will keep in mind what I learned this past week and that is to not open suspicious emails, keep my browser and operating system up to date, keep the firewall turned on, always back up my files, and to protect my wireless connection with a firewall and password.

Understanding Hardware Components of an Operating Systems

I am on to my third week of class and I am still loving every bit of information that I am learning. This past task about learning the computer from the inside was quite an undertaking but I was able to really get a glance at the system that makes the computer function. As I was watching the Triumph of the Nerds I saw a few slides of the inside of the computer and I was very intrigued to get started on looking into my own. I can now say that I have the seen the motherboard, the processor, and the hard drive of the computer. Now if you ask me what exactly they do I guess I can admit that I am not quite sure. However, now that I have a visual image of these main compnents of the computer I am even more interested in learning more about them including the production process and what makes them able to process so much information in seconds.

Hmmmm...what do I really know about Computers??

I have been operating on my laptop for the past three years and I know how to run the basic operations of the machine but when it comes down to the a full understanding of how this thing works I have no clue! I can create all types of documents, search the net, and upload pics/documents to to different online storage devices. When it comes to fully understanding how this device works I really am at a loss; however, I am very eager to develop my knowledge on the under-workings of this great machine.

I can say after watching the Triumph of the Nerds video that there is a lot of time and effort gone into the development of these machines and their programs. One thing I am positive about is that I am not quite sure how a programmer develops the programs, but that to is something I would like to add to my educational resume.

I came into this program fresh with a small amount of prior knowledge on the subject but my mind is open and ready to learn. I would like to share a small secret with the cyber world and that is I fear that I may fall behind because of my lack of knowledge. I am praying that is not the case, so I try to do a little more than the rest just so I can stay on top of all new information given to me.

My Personal Computer History

My first computer experience was with my Aunt's Commodore computer. It was the most exciting thing we ever seen, not only could we type on an actual screen(lol) but we could also play the Wheel of Fortune game (my favorite television program at the time). In school we had an Apple 2e and we used it to type our documents if time permitted (because we only had one computer in the class). The Apple was nothing like what we use today, this computer had a green screen and an equally large and loud printer that sounded more like a typewriter. For the most part most of my computer experience was limited until my sophomore year in High School, the typewriter was more the available means for drafting a document.

Attending school in the late 80's early 90's was much unlike what the students have available for their use today. I can remember drafting all my papers by hand or by the dreaded type writer. Yes I did say the typewriter, I had to take Typing 101 and I remember having to place a piece of typing paper over my hands to avoid looking at the keys. Not to mention straining my eyes to verify what I just typed. My sophomore year brought great joy to all of our hearts when we were able to use the computer in place of the typewriter. The computer lab opened to all students and we all able to go to the lab to draft our documents onto this screen that was colorful and user friendly (Microsoft Office Word) (Not to forget the wonderful printer that zapped out the document in just a few moments).

In the years to it became commonplace for me to use the computer for most things I do, I guess that is what brought me to this course. I want to navigate not only myself around a computer proficiently but also my students. I am looking forward to my near future venture of opening my computer and examining/identifying all the components that make up the computer.

Just checking if this link works...

This is my son (future Green Bay Packer Safety). I just wanted to see if this link actually works from my Dropbox account....please let me know if you can view this picture:)http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5345700/chris%201.jpg

On to Week 2....

Whew...after an exhausting week of adjusting back to being a student again, I must say I am rather enjoying this new classroom experience. This past week was very educational for me because as much as I use the computer and navigate around the web I have yet to discover all that is available in cyber space. The browser activity was the most beneficial for me, let the truth be told I only use Internet Explorer as my browser. So discovering the other browsers available made me very intrigued to try something new. In my research I discovered that FireFox is the most widely used browser and is compatible with the various operating systems on the market. I am so amazed at my ignorance of all this, (I can not believe I am sharing this little tid bit of information) but I am so excited to learn something new and apply it to my professional and personal cyber life.

As the weeks goes on I am looking forward to learning and improving my technological skills (say goodbye to the help button!)

Week 1...

Hello world...my name is Brianna Bellamy and I have a very limited experience with computers besides the basic Internet search and Microsoft office package. I enrolled into a M.Ed program specializing in Instructional Technology to improve my overall performance in the classroom and at home. With the ever changing technological advances, I needed to incorporate a way to reach the learner with fun, and innovative lesson plans that grasp their attention without disengaging them.



My passion for teaching and learning began many years ago when I was just a student myself, but as I grew into adulthood my dream turned sour with the many discouraging comments of family and friends saying "teaching does not pay well and the stress is just too much." I followed those comments and decided to enter the financial world and try fulfill my dreams in this field. After a few years in financial sales, I realized I was burned out and had no real desire in selling financial products. At the age of 31 I decided it was time to do what I always longed to do and that was to teach!



I entered into a non-traditional graduate program at Lipscomb University, where students who held a Bachelors could complete a teaching certification program. This program allowed me the privilege to learn and grow with fellow future educators from all professional backgrounds (I was very relieved to know that I was not the only transitioning teacher..lol). It was during my six month student teaching experience when I realized that I wanted to further my technological education. I hate to admit this but I have to say that I was asking my students (yes my students) how to do various tasks for my visual lesson that I was planning. Now I am not ashamed to ask questions, but this situation led me to realize that in order to reach my students I need to present my lessons in a way that captures their attention (worksheets and board work were not making the cut anymore).



So here I am at Cardinal Stritch building my own education to improve my overall performance with my students. I know this will be a heavy load right now but I it is my passion/goal in life to see every child love and understand every aspect of math without any hesitation.