To Infinity and Beyond

A)  Google Earth's tutorial on Atomic Learning was very educational. Google Earth can take you to infinity and beyond (more literally to the depths of the ocean and to Mars!)  As a science or social studies teacher, the ability to show actual 3D pictures or video of Mars or under water ocean floors would make for an unbelievable teaching lesson.  What a way to get your students motivated about learning! Google has truly outdone themselves!

B) One of the lesson sheets that I looked at was the Elementary Lower Grades (1-5.)  The first lesson was to set Google Earth to show the border layers to recognize the countries and states borders.  I think this would be extremely useful in teaching Geography or United States History in class.  It would definitely give a little variety to a classroom.  Another lesson I liked from this site was the idea of placemarks of the birthplaces of American Presidents.  It would incorporate the importance of their lives and teach geographical locations. 

The other section of lesson sheets I looked at the Middle School section.  The first one that popped up for me was the lesson over the civil war battles.  The students were to place mark the key events of the Civil War.  The students were also asked to measure the distance between battles to help them understand how difficult communication and delivery of supplies would be.  I think this type of lesson would not only teach the standard in an American History class, but also be intriguing to the students.  What a great way to make Social Studies or History touch home for students and also be so interactive.

C) The sightseer blog I choice was April 2011.  The first section that caught my eye was the article on "Explore the Redwoods in 3D."  It was a virtual tour of the redwood forest in California and Oregon.  It was a very informative presentation.  Google Earth helped to collaborate with the "Save the Redwoods League" to make the 3D tour of these forests.  I found this very interesting because until recently I had never seen a giant redwood.  These trees are so spectacular.  I knew they were tall but didn't realize truly how magnificent they are until a recent visit to Oregon for vacation.  The next article I looked at was on Google Earth Builder.  Google Earth Builder was released in April to use geospatial data to make maps.  I didn't fully understand every part of the video on Google Earth Builder, but I was interested in the idea of it nonetheless.  The next part of April's blog that I read was the "Add Local Knowledge to the Map" which is funny because yesterday I mentioned this tool as one that I found to be extremely helpful and interesting.  This tool allows a person to search for a type of place or a specific place and receive specific details about it.  My example yesterday was of a pizza place in Knoxville.  It gave not only the address of Pizza Palace, but also reviews of the restaurant.  This is a very helpful tool! I like that Google Sightseer keeps us up to date on the new and improved things of Google, especially since Google keeps getting more and more talented!

Google Maps

I use Google Maps a lot when I'm trying to figure out where I'm going.  Unfortunately, I use only the basic tools.  Until tonight, I had not explored the advanced tools now offered.

Google maps has taken finding directions to a whole new level. I didn't realize how detailed they had become.  When I was little, we vacationed to lots of places around the United States.  Anytime we wanted to eat somewhere local in the city we were visiting, we would have to ask the hotel staff or someone my Mom befriended.  Nowadays, I would just look online at Google maps to find the restaurant that I wanted.  An example of how detailed Google Maps are, I typed in "Pizza in Knoxville, TN."  I was given listings A-J and then many more pages as well.  It listed some of the great local pizza places in town.  Along with the location and titles of the restaurants, I was also given the reviews of the restaurants.  I really like this ability to search out fantastic restaurants.  I will use this tool here in Knoxville and when traveling.  They have also increased their mapping abilities.  I could make a custom map with icons that stood for different places, such as universities, hospitals, restaurants, and much more.  I like having the ability to specifically map out my directions by choosing the roads I want to travel.  This tool would make giving someone directions extremely nice and easy.

LESSON PLANS:

The first lesson plan I looked at was in the middle school section.  "World War II Battle Areas" was extremely informative.  I loved having the actual locations to look at while reading and studying the details of each attack or battleground.  I think as a teacher, one could really capture the students attention by incorporating this into the lesson plan.  I think if I did this one I would tag each site with a letter or number instead of a thumbstack, just because I had to click on each tack to figure out what was located at that location. What a great teaching tool!

The second lesson I looked at was "Mostly Weather."  I really liked that these students found the cities that were the most of different weather events, such as "the windiest city" and "the city with the most snowfall."  What great knowledge the students would gain while doing such a fun activity. 

SITES

Well this is the second time I have posted this blog.  The first time all of my information was deleted and I was directed to a page that said ERROR! UGH!!!

Tonight's blog assignment was about Google Sites.  I think the idea of Sites is good.  I unfortunately found it confusing.  I first started out with the family template and attempted to change the template to make it more personal.  I started with the front site page.  I upload a borrowed picture of a family because mine were not available.  I also added a UT logo and a text box.   It took me quite a while to figure out all of this, but I believe I even was able to upload a calendar.  Here is my link:

SITES LINK

Home Sweet Home

We had to pick a picture to upload tonight and show a before and after picture. I decided on taking a picture from my hometown, Oxford, Mississippi. William Faulkner was a famous author who resided in Oxford with his family for many years. His home in downtown Oxford is a famous landmark that locals visit regularly for portraits and tours. Here are my pictures of his famous home, Rowan Oak.

I combined my before and after pictures into one.

As far as Picassa is concerned, I was extremely confused while trying to use it.  When I wanted to load a picture, I couldn't find where to load it at and then all of a sudden the picture I had edited in Picnik appeared.  Once I did have a picture to work with, I played with the editing tools.  I really love the option to picture pile.  I was able to create a picture on top of my big picture.  The smaller picture looked like an old Polaroid picture from the camera that my grandfather used to use.  It was very neat to be able to be so extremely creative with the picture.  I can only imagine what I would be able to do with more pictures available.  I also loved the ability to change the effects of the picture.  I tried for a while to find a program that would allow me to blur out the background of a picture and focus on the subject.  I was unsuccessful in finding a program, but tonight I found it! Picassa's effects has the option of a "soft focus" which allowed me to do just that.  Hallelujah! After working through my frustration, I think if I really dug into Picassa I would truly enjoy all of the capabilities of it.  I feel like right now I have just scratched the surface.  

Someone Should Have Told Me I Was Searching All Wrong

Google squared takes searching to an entirely new level. I am not looking for a new car, but thought I would search for a new "used car" anyways. First I typed in just "used car." Google squared asked me to give examples to expand my search. So I typed in "used cars for sale in Knoxville." I received a list of 20 vendors of used cars in the Knoxville area. I then searched for only Toyotas that were used in Knoxville. I was given a very specific list of 4 used cars in Knoxville. I love how specific I could make my search. I really could have saved myself time and effort when I was shopping for my car two years ago. Google squared gets two thumbs up from me!

I believe I have been living in the dark ages! I didn't know I could do a specific Google Advanced Image Search. "Glorious!" was the first word out of my mouth after I pushed search. I have spent hours looking for pictures over the last few years. Tonight, I typed in "curtains for nursery," just because I will be needing some in the next 5 months. My search pulled up instantly amazing pictures that were all great and different ideas for curtains. I will use this all the time!

As a teacher with both of the searches above, being able to search so specifically would save me lots and lots of time, which as a teacher is a hot commodity. It also seemed to produce sites with the topic that I wanted, not a lot of junk that didn't pertain to what I was looking for.

Well, once again I continue to be amazed! Although I thought I knew how to search, apparently, I knew just enough to get by. I did an "Advanced Search" for "read aloud books." I was able to set the language (English) and require that the reading level was listed. After pushing search, I received a great list of websites all of which listed off books that were great read aloud books or programs (free or purchased) that would read aloud for me. It also listed how many of the sites had basic, intermediate, or advanced books available. What a great tool to have as a parent or a teacher! I want to try it more at home with my daughter.

Exploring the World of iPad Apps

Tonight, I explored many apps that were available on my iPad. Here are the three that I liked the most.

1) Easy Globe Lite: I found it to be extremely educational. This app had 4 different topic areas all related to Geography. The topic I played was "The World: Continents and Oceans." It is a game that asked me to select (by touch screen) different oceans or continents. It kept score and then gave me my score in comparison with other scores on the program. As a teacher, if teaching the oceans or continents was part of my curriculum, I would love this app. It makes it so much fun to learn a subject that so many kids find boring. It is much better than handing out copies of the world and telling kids to label it.

2) Pile Up States: This app was a Social Studies app. In it, I was asked to identify different states by either their capitol or by their physical shape. I loved this app too! As a teacher, this takes the boring memorization of states location and capitols to a fun and exciting level. I believe any student would love the chance to play this "game" on the iPad.

3) Read Me: This app was under the Language Arts/ English icon. Read Me is a program that reads an interactive book aloud to students while highlighting the words it is currently reading. I believe students or kids of all ages would really appreciate this app. I know that in the school I'm currently at now, any chance any student has to have someone (whether its the teacher or the computer) read to them, they jump at the chance. This app made the story "Tuffy's First Adventure" fun and interesting. I had the chance to not only read along with the exciting narrator, but also click on the pictures for additional stories or details about the characters.

The apps that I explored were fantastic. I'm sure I just scratched the surface when it comes to all the amazing apps currently on my iPad. I think that used appropriately, apps like these can only improve our current education system.

Google Drawing

I enjoyed Google drawing. It seemed similar to drawing in word or paint programs. I think if I had time to really play around in it, I would feel more comfortable with the program. In a classroom, it could help students by giving them a way to express what they have learned. The lesson plan that was provided is a good example of being able to explain what the students had learned. They could draw a setting with the drawing program instead of writing a paragraph describing the setting. I believe the teacher would probably get a better response out of some students who maybe really dislike having to write paragraphs. It definitely gives another modification for diversified learners. Below is a link to my drawing in Google drawing. Its extremely basic. No laughing! :)

Drawing

iPads in Schools and as Readers

"New Jersey District Plans iPad-only Algebra Course" was the first article I read on the uses of I-pads in schools. It talks about the school district of Edison Township and how they are implementing the ipads for all of their Algebra I classes. They believe that by using this technology correctly they will have drastic gains with their program just like the pilot program in California did. I also read the article "Electronic Tablets Break Down Educational Barriers in R.I. Schools." This article talks a lot about those students who needed modified learning. It specifically mentions students who are supporting their families full time, raising families of their own, or not students who excel in a school where the population is near 2,000 people. It mentions how the ipad has increased excitement within learning and graduation in students who would have given up long ago. The final article I read tonight was "iPad May Replace Textbooks in the Classroom." This article was about a school legislators in Georgia discussing the value of I-pads in their classrooms instead of using the very costly textbooks the state now buys.

I have been one of those people who said, "I'm good with just turning the pages in my book. I like have the hard copy to highlight in, to take notes and to study from." I almost feel extremely silly now. While "playing" around in the ebook "iPad 2: Starter Guide," I found out how easy it really is to highlight sections, take notes, or even find the topics I was looking for. Highlighting the sentence or word I needed was extremely neat and it was still there where I left it when I skimmed back through the pages. I also really like the ability to find the definition of a word just by clicking on dictionary. So many times I have found myself not really understanding or even knowing a word that I have just read, and out of pure laziness I just move on instead of getting my dictionary out and figuring out what it means. Another time saver I really liked was the "search" button. I magnified the word tablet and pushed search. Within seconds, 7 matches or findings of the word were directly in front of me. The bookmark option was also very neat! No more folding down the corners of pages.

Hooray for FORMS!!

I'm hoping that this attaches... I really LOVED working with Google Forms.  As a teacher, this tool would be invaluable, especially for test analysis!  Below is the spreadsheet and test, I worked on following the tutorial on "Creating Self Graded Quizzes."

THANK YOU ANYSSA FOR PLAYING ALONG! 



SPREADSHEET

Finders Keepers

At first, Anyssa and I laughed at the name "Delicious."  Let's be honest- its an awkward name for a site that searches topics or items out for you.  But in all truthfulness,  after spending about 2 minutes searching on it, I believe delicious describes the site perfectly.  I know personally how hard it is to find exactly what you are looking for just by searching through Google.  I started looking for a vacation rental in Hilton Head for the end of summer as a "Hooray I finished summer school!" trip through Google.  I become so frustrated at the amount of junk I found online that I just quit searching.  BUT-- I typed "Hilton Head vacation rentals" and found an abundance of great links.  I will definitely go back through them all at home to see what I can get!  Hooray for Delicious!

Google Reader is an interesting tool.  My husband, who tries to keep up with many different topics all day long, would probably really appreciate having every website or topic in the same place.  He would also add topics or subscriptions often.  As a teacher, I think I would use it a lot to keep myself organized and up to date on activities or topics pertaining to the subject area I teach. On a personal level, its not really my cup of tea.

Library Thing... I think people who put their CDs and books into an Excel spreadsheet (like my father) would love this website.  My Dad like to keep all the books he has read and wants to read in a spreadsheet which I receive around November every year, so that I know what to look for around Christmas season.  He is and has always been extremely organized.  This website would save him a lot of time and energy because he could simply type in the name of the book he has read or wants to read and keep it in a stored list.   I personally love wandering around McKay's bookstore in Knoxville looking the the next book in the series I'm reading or just finding one that seems like what I would like.  I don't think I would use Library Thing as much as my Dad. 

Overall, 1 out of 3 isn't bad, right?

=GOOGLEFINANCE("IBM")

After multiple nights of exploring Google Docs, I am very grateful to my 8th grade technology teacher.  Mrs. Kahler did an amazing job of teaching me how to master the Microsoft Works/ Office programs.  I say master very loosely.  I'm no expert, but I can manage my way around.  I'm sure over the years I have picked on little things here and there that I have added to my general knowledge of the programs.  I say all of that because with the basic knowledge that I have I do not have to start from scratch on learning how to maneuver around Google Docs.  I found the basis of Google's Spreadsheets to be very similar to Microsoft's Excel program.  Now I just have learn all of the cool features that Spreadsheets has inserted such as the sharing feature and the ability to insert functions into the spreadsheets.  Jerry found earlier in the spreadsheet he was playing around with that he was able to insert different functions into the formula row.  He experimented with inserting the population of Zimbabwe into a cell by first setting up his function to ask for this data.  He also inserted a stock price from IBM which would be useful if I wanted to keep track of my own portfolio.  Having this feature is very impressive, it is nice to be able to pull that type of information from the internet without having to look it up like I would if using Excel.

Lesson Plan:
I viewed the lesson plan "Consumer Product Testing Experiment."  I thought this experiment would be very successful in a 7th or 8th grade classroom.  I think for 6th graders there may have been to many variables for them to decide on.  Although, depending on the class's cognitive level it may be appropriate for 6th too.  In this experiment, the students had to decide on a product that they wanted to survey people about.  There were many variables for them to decide upon such as: product, target group, and survey questions.  After the the survey was prepared, the students were asked to conduct field experiments.  I love how hands this experiment is.  Finally, the students evaluated their data and presented their results to the class.  All of this was set up and then presented using Google Docs.

I would have enjoyed Science class if I had done hands-on activities like this one throughout my school career.  I also like how this teacher effectively used technology.  I would definitely use an experiment like this one in my classroom.  I hope that if I do end up as a science  teacher, I am a teacher who keeps her students wanting more and not dreading coming to science class, like I did as a student.  

Learning New Things Daily

I started tonight's assignment by reviewing the details and how to's of Gmail.  I really expected to be shocked at what I didn't know how to do.  Surprisingly enough, I found that throughout my years making mistakes and not getting my email to do what I wanted it to do, I had figured out how most of Gmail worked.  One new and interesting find was the search feature that Gmail offers.  I can't tell you how many times I've said,  "I know I received that email." The search feature gives a much easier way of finding the "lost" email by just typing the title into the search box.  I know I will be using this feature in the future.  I also love the amount of storage capacity that Gmail offers.  Having a young child and not having all of my family in the same city, I enjoy sending pictures of all the fun things my daughter does to our extended family.  With Gmail, I can send multiple pictures within one email instead having to send multiple emails with one or two pictures.

Next, I explored Google Calendar.  Since college I have despised carrying a calendar! Somewhere between my over-organized college days of always having my calendar in tow to my first job out of college days where I wasn't allowed to take my calendar out of the office for security reasons, I came to despise feeling attached and tied down by a few sheets of paper.  Silly, I know but it is a freeing feeling.  Its almost like the feeling I get when I accidentally leave my cell phone sitting on the counter.  Freedom!  Even with all my crazy feelings about life with a calendar, I did find Google's Calendar intriguing.  Being able to sync a calendar to my cell phone would be nice because then I wouldn't have multiple items to carry around with me, especially with the addition of a diaper bag in the near future.  I also liked the fact that if I happened to go somewhere that was offline, I could still get the read-only version of my calendar.  This feature seemed nice since when I did enjoy carrying my calendar I was addicted to having it with me.  I really felt uncomfortable without it.  I'm starting to think I was way too busy in college! :)

Finally, I explored iGoogle.  I really had no interest in iGoogle before tonight mainly because I didn't know what it did.  I found a new love! A personal webpage with only the topics I enjoy.  Of course, I would always include a sports section so I can keep up with all my husband's sports talk.  It reminds a lot of the homepage I had at home when I was a Comcast subscriber, only their homepage was preselected and I wasn't able to select my preference of topic.

All in all, tonight's  TECH was very educational!

Power Point vs. Google Docs- Presentation

Google Docs- Presentation is an upgraded version of Power Point.  These two programs have similar tendencies when it comes to creating a new document, inserting text on a page in a text box, adding motion or animation by right clicking and organizing slides by clicking and dragging to appropriate place. They vary drastically when it comes to collaboration and sharing.  Power Point does not have a the collaboration feature at all.  To share a Power Point presentation you would have to save it to your hard drive and then attach it to an email to share it.  By using Google Docs' Presentation, you could save yourself lots of time and energy.  Let me explain:

The collaboration feature of Presentation takes away the need for a central meeting location or tons of emails back and forth while drafting a presentation.  Through collaboration, a group of people can work on the same Presentation at the same time with all of them editing the presentation (if you choose) from multiple locations.  You do have the option to allow someone the ability to edit or to just view.  All in all, ten people are allowed to collaborate at one time.  Once changes are made on the presentation, it is updated in real time.  I found this feature absolutely amazing! College group projects would have been so much easier.

The other feature I found interesting was the share feature.   Like all of Google Docs, the Presentation section can also be shared with up to 200 people.  Being able to share a presentation from the "cloud" makes life a lot easier for all types of people.  My husband for instance has run into the problem of not being able to play the presentation he made because that company's computer didn't have the same edition of Power Point.  This type of headache would be prevented with Google Presentation because he could just share his file with those who needed to see it.

The idea of Google Docs is truly exceptional.  I'm excited to see the opportunities made available in education with this type of technology.

Lesson Plan Review:
I reviewed the Social Studies lesson plan from Ronna Van Veghel on Biomes.  She does a good job on stating the performance objectives that the students are required to master by giving them a detailed rubric.  The students had to work on their biome project as a group and then present it to the class. This lesson plan has the potential to allow the students to master this curriculum.

Exploring the Unknown

Tonight's TECH blog assignment was to examine two browsers that I have not ever used.  I was an avid Firefox user until it crashed about a week ago on my home computer.  We are now using Internet Explorer which runs extremely slow and shuts down frequently.  I'm not sure if its my computer of the browser we're using.  For tonight though, I chose Safari and Google's Chrome to expand my knowledge of browsers.

Safari has some very interesting features, which are similar to the graphics of i-Tunes.  One section in particular that looked similar is the bookmark or history section.  To flip through those websites that were bookmarked through Safari, I felt like I was looking at the CD packets you see on i-Tunes.  It was much prettier than the regular drop down list of Explorer or Firefox. 

The next browser I tried my luck on was Google's Chrome. I believe that this browser claims faster speed than the others.  I didn't personally pull out a stop watch, but it did seem very quick.  It could have just been how suddenly the new screens popped up.