Podcast Reflection #4: Driving Questions in Education 2011

In this podcast from Driving Questions in Education 2011 titled Kimberly Wright, Kevin Honeycutt talked to Kimberly Wright, a fourth grade Science and Technology teacher.  Kimberly discussed her interest and experience with technology.  I related to her because she had experience with PowerPoint, and she described herself as a non-techie.  She discussed her views on testing and making things fun in the classroom.  She stated she thinks technology bridges the gap with her kids.   Kimberly discussed how she never feels alone and feels she has so many people resources to go to for support and questions.  I feel very empowered by Kimberly’s statement, and I feel like technology is really connecting people.  Teaching has become such a collaborative effort especially with the use of technology such as Twitter and Skype.  Kimberly discussed connecting with teachers in other countries.  The thought of connecting with other teachers through technology really gets me excited to get in the field and use these technologies in the classroom.  The learning of the students will surely be enhanced with technology.  Also, Kimberly and Kevin discussed using Plurk to connect with other teachers.  I wasn't sure about it, but an article Plurk vs. Twitter described it as a online "community-building" tool.

Podcast Reflection #3: Speaking of History...

I listened the podcast Speaking of History by Eric Langhorst.  He spoke of his time at Mount Vernon during a conference this summer.  He was very passionate as he spoke about the history of Mount Vernon and how it made him feel.  He wanted to remember how it felt to be there, so he could share these vivid memories with his students.  Also, he could even let his students listen to his podcast so they could hear him describe the place.  Eric just kept saying how amazing the views at Mount Vernon were and how they were protected by the historical foundation.  I think Eric’s podcast could really resonate with his students on how important history is to our American culture past and present.  Eric seemed to be really getting connected with where George Washington was from and how he must have thought the world and the land.  It seems the better familiar teachers are with their subject matter; the better they will be at teaching it.  Eric’s podcast made me want to learn more about Mount Vernon and where George Washington lived.  I think podcasts are just amazing because you can learn so much in so little time.  Overall, I enjoyed Eric’s podcast about his experience at Mount Vernon, and it gave me a lot of ideas on how to make history come alive.  For example, students could research different president’s birth places online and try to imagine how it might have been in the past.  The internet makes so many things possibilities when teaching about history and any subject really.

Fun with Text

There are many ways in which I would use Wordle and Tagexdo.  First of all, I would use Wordle as a way for students to practice their spelling words.  It would provide a fun and interesting way for students to practice spelling and looking at their words.  Also, I would use Wordle to type in lesson/unit vocabulary words.  It would provide an interesting way to look at the words and get students excited for the lesson.  Another way I could use Wordle in the classroom is to have students use the tool to create posters for other students.  The students could list positive compliments about each other to help promote positive self esteem and connectedness in the classroom.  

            Tagexdo is another great tool I plan on using in my future classroom.  I would have the students use tagexdo to create interesting projects and displays for the classroom.  Also, I would have my students create projects using Tagexdo to portray facts about different historical periods or events, science facts, math facts, and vocabulary words.  It could also be used as a neat way to display students’ writing projects.  Tagexdo provides so many options and the possibilities are really endless with a student’s imagination.  In addition, both of these tools could be used as a reward when students earn computer time after their work is done.