Week 14- Using for Games for Teaching and Learning

This week I learned about how you can implement games and computer technology into the classroom so that students can learn their academic material through these games. I participated in a discussion forum where I talked about my early experiences with academic computer games when I was in second grade, and I was able to learn about and respond to my classmates' early experiences with computer games as well. I also learned this week about the virtual learning that happened through the computer game Second Life.

I can apply what I learned about educational computer gaming to my major, which is elementary education. I think that it would be very beneficial if I let my future students use computer games for part of their learning because it will keep them engaged in the activities, and they will be able to learn what they need to for the curriculum. I think that Second Life is a very interesting computer game, and I think that it would be very beneficial for students to use this game so that they can get a virtual first-hand experience of what they are learning in the classroom.



I found the above video on you tube. This video shows some different educational computer games that could be used in elementary school classrooms. These games could probably be used in a second or third grade classroom because the children are learning multiplication through the first game that is played. This video shows just how easy games can be integrated into the material that is taught to students in elementary classrooms. The students learn a lot and they enjoy playing the games.

Week 13- Distance Education and Virtual Schooling

This week I learned about distance education where children and adults are able to take classes online instead of having to go to school. I learned that virtual schooling can be a lot like real schooling and that it has many benefits. Virtual schooling is good for busy adults who have to travel for their work, but they are also pursuing a degree in college. Virtual schooling is also cheaper than taking real college courses at a university. Children and adults are also able to work on their assign ments at their own pace. The only downfall of distance education is that it does not benefit children socially because they do not actually have to interact with other classmates.

Distance education and virtual schooling do not really benefit the field that I am going into, which is elementary education, because I am going to be a teacher at a public elementary school. In my opinion, public schooling is more beneficial for elementary-age children because they learn how to interact with other classmates and work in groups, which prepares them for the workforce. I think that it is also good if the children can actual meet with the teacher in person and get help if they need it.




I found this video on you tube and it describes a virtual school the is called California Virtual Academy. It is a school that supplies a computer and all other materials to the students free of charge. The students work on their assignments at home, but they do get to go to a place to socialize with other children once a week.

Week 12- Open Source Software

This week I watched a video about open source software. The video informed me about the different types of open source software that is available for free online. I was also able to explore some of the open sources online, and I responded to a discussion forum. I was able to share my opinion on using open source software and cloud computing on the discussion forum.

I think that open source software and cloud computing is very useful and will be very be helpful for when I become a teacher. The best part about using these tools is that they are all free, and that is good because teachers do not earn a lot of money. Cloud computing is also a very efficient tool for people who need to communicate and give documents to each other, but they may not have enough time to meet with each other, like teachers.



I found the above video on you tube and it explains how cloud computing has become an important part of sharing assignments in this teacher's classroom. The teacher explains how each of her sixth grade students has a Google docs account and is able to turn in their assignments to the teacher through using Google docs. The students are able to see each other's work, give feedback and receive feedback on the assignments that they are doing in the class.

Week 11- Professional Web Presence

This week I learned how to make a professional web presence page online. I learned how to create the home page and then add new pages where I could incorporate personal information about myself and some of my resume information as well. I began working on my professional web presence this week as well. I also viewed a movie on you tube that talked about how to create a professional web presence to use for when you are trying to get a job.

Learning how to create a professional web presence website would be really beneficial for when I am done with college and trying to get a job as an elementary school teacher. The people who are looking to higher me could easily view the pages and see my credentials and my teaching experience so that they can decide whether or not they want to higher me. I will also be able to add information to my resume page while I am continuing to gain experience in the classroom throughout the ProTeach program.



I found the above video on youtube. This video explains how to create a resume online and the importance of keeping your resume online so that your prospective bosses could view the information. This video goes along with what I have learned this week about the professional web presence website and presenting your credentials and work experience online.

Week 10- Social Tools and Cloud Computing

This week I learned how to upload documents on Google docs so that I can share the documents that I make to other people using the web. I also responded to a discussion post on my opinion on whether or not social tools were beneficial to our society or not. This week I also began working on my social bookmarking project where I can share interesting websites that I find with other people.

Using Google docs would be very beneficial for when I am an elementary school teacher because I could save my lesson plans onto Google docs and then be able to share them with other teachers so that they could get ideas from them. I would also be able to look at other teachers' lesson plans and other documents as well and use them in my own class. Social bookmarking would also be an important tool to use when I become a teacher because I would be able to post websites that I use with my class for other teachers to see and use and vice versa.




This is a video that I found on you tube which is explains why Google docs is a good idea for when you want to share a document with other people, and when you want feedback on the document. The video also goes into the details of all that you can do when using Google docs, such as commenting on other people's documents and creating spreadsheets. The video has information supporting the use of Google docs for many different reasons as well.  

Week 9- Sound Podcasting

http://www.filefront.com/17449392/Heather's Podcast.m4a


This week I recorded one of my favorite songs on Garage Band. Then I learned how to save the podcast to iTunes and upload in onto filefront.com. The link to my podcast is above. Recording sounds would be very useful for when I am an elementary schools teacher because I could record myself teaching a lesson to my students and use it for when I may be absent from school for any reason. The substitute could play the podcast to my students so that that they would still be able to learn the lesson on the day it was supposed to be taught. I could also record other sounds and use them in my lessons so that the students who are auditory learners could benefit well from the material taught in the lesson.

Week 8- Digital Storytelling

This week I learned how to make a video on animoto.com. I was able to use my pictures from my Study Abroad trip in England this summer and put them in slides to music. I also learned about the history of audio formats dating back to the 1800s to the present. I also read an article about popular audio formats in technology today.

I can use what I learned this week about digital storytelling and making movies on the computer in my own classroom when I become a teacher. I could find some pictures that represent what the students may be studying and put them together with music to make a movie. Presenting the pictures digitally to music would probably engage the students more, and it would help them to pay attention to the lesson better.

Here is a link to the video that I made on animoto.com this week:
Study Abroad Trip to England



The video above I found on youtube and it is a very good example of digital storytelling. It retells the story of Animal Farm written by George Orwell. The story is told through text and pictures that represent what the text is saying. The story is also played to music which sort of sets the mood of the story. I could make a movie like this when I become a teacher, and retell other stories that the children may be reading in class so that they could better understand the stories. The digital storytelling would also act as a visual aide for the students who learn better visually.