Thursday, March 27, 2008

Trade Hub of Constantinople

This is a video I created in which my students were experiencing how Constantinople was a trade hub. I filmed this so people could see how engaging and crazy I allow the class to get at times. Believe it or not, the students were completely under control, ENJOY-


Sunday, March 2, 2008

Reflections on New Technology

Response: Post a blog entry with your reflections about this class and the new tech tools you've been exposed to. You should be thinking about which tools to use for your Instructional Package. Please share these musings with me in a few paragraphs. I won't hold you to them just yet!

I am really enjoying all that I'm learning about Google and the tools available that I would not have otherwise known. My mind is racing with ideas of how to implement such technology in my class room and introducing it to my seventh grade students. Our network at school is set up so students can create folders that they can access so long as they're at our school (grades 6-8). The unfortunate thing is that they lose their work as soon as they leave our school. If we alternatively set them up with a gmail account and teach them about the possibilities we're learning about, then students can keep their work and work on their pieces in other locations, too. This is really key for my class. If I give students 1 class to complete an assignment and there are some students who need more time, then they would normally have to find a school computer on their own time. Now, they can continue their work from any computer with internet access.

I will be instructing students on creating videos of Feudal Japan. The first tool that will be really helpful in this process is googledocs. Students can write scripts and I can send comments for students to perfect. Then, they can consult with each other. Finally, we can upload storyboards. The video we complete at the end can be shared as a private video on teachertube. I love all this!!